Celtic transfer news latest as audience with Brendan Rodgers remains unmissable

Failure to beat the Kazakhs sets up a tricky return leg close to the Chinese border on Tuesday night in the second leg of a Champions League play-off that has main-phase participation and £40 million on the line. But before then - as Rodgers was right to point out - is the small matter of Livingston in the Premiership at home on Saturday.

Celtic have been flawless thus far on domestic duty, beating St Mirren and Aberdeen in the league plus Falkirk in the Premier Sports Cup. Only a win will do to ease the tension around Parkhead this weekend, and even then, there are bound to be some protests against a board who many supporters feel are penny-pinching.

Celtic still have no new signings to announce this week, although reports from the continent suggest transfer activity has been ramped up in the days after Kairat. Talks are said to have resumed with Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles over £5m-rated forward Jakob Breum, while across the border in Belgium, a Celtic consortium is claimed to be en route to Antwerp in an attempt to seal a deal for their winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha, who has been heavily linked with Celtic for more than 12 months now.

Perhaps this is why Rodgers was not in prickly-bush mode in his pre-match press conference. Nevertheless, “I don't have anything new to to tell you” was his deadpan response when asked about incomings, before confirming that Australian winger Marco Tilio has all but left the club, with Rapid Vienna his expected destination.

Rodgers’ options continue to diminish. His first-choice right-back Alistair Johnston is out for three months with a hamstring tear, striker Adam Idah has a knee issue and defender Auston Trusty is dealing with plantar fasciitis. The manager said an increase in injuries has not accelerated transfer work.

‘These are massive games’ for Celtic

His message was broadly the same as before - he wants players as soon as possible to assist him in big matches. “I think there is that need for it [signings] if we're going to go on and have the season that we want,” Rodgers continued in broken-record mode. “Like I said, I would like it to be now because in a performance level, these are massive games. These are games for the can set the tone for your for your season.

“However, if the players arrive late later than what we would have liked, if they're here, then we can still be happy, but I don't think any injuries or anything that's come up in the last few days has changed what uh what we needed.”

Where Celtic are in the transfer market, allied to Rodgers entering the final 12 months of his contract, has renewed chatter amongst the club’s fanbase that the Northern Irish coach might be offski sooner than next summer. Such a scenario was put to him and he was unequivocal in his response.

“Absolutely no chance,” said Rodgers. “No chance. We've done that one before [referring to his exit for Leicester in 2019]. It didn't go down well! Listen, I said from the first day and there's no hidden messages and there's no this and that. I said I'd be three years. I'm here for three years.”

Rodgers also stated that despite the rancour and noise surrounding his relationship and the board, everyone is pulling in the same direction at Celtic.

“People try and look to find that that conflict between me and the board or me and whoever,” Rodgers continued. “It really isn't the case. You know, the board here at the football club of over many years managed the financial side of the game and run the club to an impeccable level.

‘No conflict’ at Celtic

“My job here as the football manager is to really drive and demand and for us to live in a cycle where we understand that we will lose some players, but that it doesn't have this massive impact that it seems to sometimes do. And that we can just lose big players and and then bring in other ones rather than to wait.

“So that cycle I want us to be in, but there's certainly no conflict. Everyone at this club from the board to myself we want the very, very best. Longer term I don't think so much as the manager. Now the season starts, I only want to think of the football. I don't want to think of the contract. Just think of the football and that will come away later on if it does.”

So let’s think about the football. A hearty triumph over newly-promoted Livingston is probably the best way for Celtic to soothe some of the sores popping up around Parkhead. Any set of directors will tell you that the best way to deflect attention from them is by winning football matches. But three points are required for the sake of this team too, who took a long time to splutter into life against Kairat and then failed to hit top gear.

Rodgers would surely like to rotate his squad for this game, but he doesn’t have much to turn to. The over-deployed Daizen Maeda may have to feature. Can Shin Yamada, Johnny Kenny or Callum Osmand be trusted at No 9 instead of him in Idah’s absence? Further back, Anthony Ralston is set for an extended spell in the team following Johnston’s untimely injury.

Celtic continue to tread a fine line between success and failure. After Livingston, it’s Kairat, Rangers away and then the closure of the transfer window. Big performances are needed across the board.