‘Brendan Rodgers’ body language at Celtic press conference said it all’
Brendan Rodgers has been left frustrated by the lack of incoming transfer activity at Celtic during the mid-season window.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson insisted that the boss’ body language at his recent press conference showed his true feelings, despite some magnanimous comments.
Rodgers explained that the deals to bring both Jota and Jeffrey Schlupp to the club were positive, but hinted he would have liked to have seen more done.
In terms of outgoings, Alexandro Bernabei, Luis Palma, Alex Valle, Stephen Welsh and Odin Thiago Holm all left the club either on loan or permanently.
However, the biggest impact was caused by the departure of Kyogo Furuhashi, who left to join Ligue 1 outfit Rennes but was not adequately replaced.
The arrivals of Jota and Schlupp went some way towards strengthening the squad, but Rodgers has still been left short of depth, particularly up front.
Brendan Rodgers unhappy after Celtic transfer window
That lack of depth is said to have left the manager frustrated as he continues to get the best out of his players, having qualified for the next stage of Champions League football.
Robinson, meanwhile, explained that the boss had been fair in his comments in the media, but there was a feeling that Celtic could have done more to help bolster his squad despite the January window typically being a difficult one to operate in.
“I saw him in his press conference after the window and you could tell,” he told Football Insider.
“One of the journalists put to him, have you come out of this window stronger than you went into it? Are you pleased with the window?
“It was something along the lines of listen, we brought a couple of really good players to the club.
“We’re happy be brought them in, but we’ve lost a lot of talent.
“He went on to list the players he’d lost and I was looking at his body language.
“The manager doesn’t want to see his squad being taken apart without some players coming in.
“If I was Brendan Rodgers, I’d be disappointed with the lack of incoming deals.
“Unless there’s a strategy in place because, as we know, January is a difficult window etc.
“But we didn’t see that this time.”
Celtic lead race to sign Mathias Kvistgaarden after new talks
Rodgers’ frustration in the wake of the January transfer window has led to the club already making plans to add players to his squad ahead of the summer.
Football Insider revealed on 8 February that they have already begun working on a deal to sign Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden after missing out last month.
Celtic were priced out of a move by the Danish outfit given the timing of their late interest, but there is a feeling that a deal can be reached between all parties come the summer.
Rodgers has been a key driving force behind the deal, and is pushing the club to be active in the next transfer window after their underwhelming efforts in January.
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