Celtic News

Rodgers admits Celtic took a backwards step during summer after divisive deal

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted the Hoops have suffered in the absence of Moussa Dembele this season, but believes his attacking January acquisitions will fill the void left by the Frenchman.

Dembele moved to Lyon in August for a reported £19.7m, a record fee for an outgoing Celtic player.

It was a lot of money, but it was a divisive deal that left fans fairly heartbroken, especially given the shadow he left under and given the fact that the club failed to adequately replace him.

Rodgers admitted it has had a detrimental effect on our season, telling The Daily Mail:

We’re a team that plays an aggressive game, an attacking game and I felt that was an area we were short in terms of our options.

So bringing young Oliver and Timothy in will increase that in both the central and wide areas, as will young Bayo as well as he gives us a physicality with his presence and speed.

It allows us more options with the systems we play. The style will always be the same, but it increases the way we can play.

We suffered a little bit when Moussa left in the summer, but I’m happy with these three.

Expectations are high heading into the second half of the season but fans seem generally happy with the January business done so far and are excited to see what the three incoming players can do.

That Rodgers has been backed and has been able to address the deficiencies he sees in the team is a good sign, even if two of the deals are on a short-term basis.

Hopefully we can again find consistency in the final third and end our over reliance on players such as James Forrest. The Scotland international has been in exceptional form but needs more support from his teammates.

Can Bayo, Weah and Burke provide the spark to win more trophies come the end of May?

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‘Mismanagement’, ‘Desperation signing – Celtic fans react to news that star is set for January axe

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