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Celtic’s January transfer window is now even more important after last night’s drama

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Image for Celtic’s January transfer window is now even more important after last night’s drama

Celtic had to rely on favours to qualify for the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League, but the nine points won by Brendan Rodgers’ side over the six Group B games still represent a fine achievement.

It was a dramatic, tense, frustrating and eventually jubilant evening inside Paradise on Thursday night and the club can now prepare for European football after Christmas for the second successive season.

There’s no doubt that question marks were again raised about the quality and depth of the Hoops starting eleven when up against an above average European side and for Rodgers it’s now about addressing those concerns, of which recruiting in the January transfer window is hopefully a big part.

Key staff at the club came out of an acrimonious summer pointing fingers at each other about our failures to significantly strengthen the squad and everyone knows that we simply must do better next month.

That’s now even more important with the upcoming European test ahead of us in February.

It’s of course folly to buy players for what could be just two matches but the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League is now our benchmark and the club must show supporters we have the ambition to go beyond the initial knockout round.

The right-back position remains a concern, as does the central defensive area.

No-one outside the club really knows what’s going to happen with Dedryck Boyata and losing him without signing some sort of replacement would be a big blunder.

Signing competition for Mikael Lustig must be seen as a huge priority.

In attack, we badly need competition for Odsonne Edouard given the unfortunate problems facing Leigh Griffiths. The Frenchman had a poor game last night and not having someone to come off the bench to replace him was notable.

We can’t consider qualifying from the group stage as a goal reached, but use it as a springboard for future success.

Can we strengthen where we need to in the new year?

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