BRENDAN RODGERS insists his focus is on making Celtic stronger in
January and not worrying about losing any of his key players.
The January transfer window has now reached the halfway point and the Ladbrokes Premiership champions have yet to part with any of their top assets, despite interest from south of the border continuing to circulate around Moussa Dembele.
Rodgers revealed last week during Celtic’s winter break in Dubai that no bids have ever been received for the 21-year-old forward who has previously been linked to moves to the Premier League outfits Everton and Brighton and Hove Albion.
However, the Celtic manager is not fretting over trying to find replacements for players, instead he is planning to strengthen his hand for the second part of the campaign.
“I haven’t even thought about that because I don’t see that happening,” he said. “My idea for this month is to strengthen the squad so I haven’t thought of losing anyone. If something came in that was difficult for the club and if the player wants to go then that’s another point. I’d never want a player at Celtic if he didn’t want to be there. Most importantly I would need the right replacement to come in.”
Celtic are understood to be in the market for an attacking player to bolster their options with new signing Lewis Morgan staying at St Mirren on loan until the end of the season. Young Chelsea forward Charlie Musonda is thought to be on the Glasgow side’s radar but they face competition from Bournemouth, who are keen to take the 21-year-old on loan.
Rodgers and his team have now returned home to Scotland following a week in Dubai. The Celtic manager saw a great benefit to his team in the jaunt to the United Arab Emirates last year, and he was equally delighted when reflecting on a trip he is sure will make his Premiership leaders even more formidable when they return to action next weekend.
“I feel this week is a great coaching week,” he said. “That’s what is important because we have virtually been playing, recover, playing recover. And you lose that real valuable coaching time.
“I think the second part of the season gives us more than that – starting this week. I still feel that in all aspects of our game we can improve. That starts from defensively. That’s a key focus on us this week.”
Rodgers has had to cope with criticism of his team during the first part of the campaign over a perceived drop in performance levels, but the Northern Irishman insists his players can handle the pressure of getting back up to top speed. He added: “When you work for Celtic or play for Celtic then the pressure is a privilege.
“There’s no doubt this year the target on the backs of the players has been a bigger target for most teams. The Hearts game happened and that was it. The Rangers game, it’s not a crime to draw 0-0. I said to the players after the game, ‘What is so important is that if you cannot win, make sure you don’t lose’.”
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