Brendan Rodgers provides Celtic transfer verdict after St Mirren grind as he's 'fed up' of window chat
The Celtic boss has provided his latest on the transfer front when it comes to the champions
Brendan Rodgers has put the focus on current Hoops players rather than possible stars after Celtic edged their way to opening day victory over St Mirren in the Premiership.
The Irishman handed a debut to Benjamin Nygren in midfield, and a second to Kieran Tierney at left back during their 1-0 success. Plenty of chances hit the post and Callum McGregor had a goal cut out by VAR for a handball in the build-up, but Luke McCowan’s deflected effort eventually settled a narrow win. They now look ahead to the upcoming Champions League draw which takes place on Monday.
It puts them two clear of Rangers already after one game, with their rivals drawing 1-1 at Motherwell. Summer signings Hayato Inamura, Callum Osmand and Ross Doohan were not in the squad while Shin Yamada was an unused sub, amid a demand from Rodgers to build on success rather just maintain it pre match. Fans are also keen to see more deals done and the Irishman was asked for the latest in the market when it comes to Celtic post match.
Celtic transfer update
He said that the focus for now is on the players currently in the building, but they know what is required. Rodgers told Sky Sports: “I am only concentrated on the game. There is a long to go in the market. Today is about the players. Throughout pre season, all the staff as well, it’s been a good pre season. It’s always nice when you get that victory on the first game of the season, it’s a victory for everyone. Really pleased.
“We will wait until the end of the month, we concentrated on the players that are here and hope to do some business over the period. I am not going to get bogged down on it, we know what we need. We will continue to work to play like we did today.”
Rodgers’ coy tone continued when his media schedule switched over to Sportsound, admitting that recruitment chat had left him weary. He said to the broadcaster: “I am fed up talking about transfers. We have got to the end of the window, we concentrate on what is here. A lot of work going on behind the scenes to improve the squad.”
Brendan Rodgers reaction to Celtic win vs St Mirren
On the game, the Celtic boss added: "Naturally, we wanted more goals, but I think we played their system very well. Stephen's teams are so well-organised and they're strong and make it difficult for you.
"But I think the goalkeeper has maybe kept the scoreline down and, whilst we didn't score, we didn't get disappointed and played some fantastic football. It is a tough game and an emotional day - flag day - and I thought it was an excellent win. We had a number of opportunities to score and we were unfortunate. They are a very well organised team. We just had to stay persistent and we were able to do that."