Rodgers eyes January signings to get players bedded in early

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that he wasn’t a big fan of signing players in the January transfer window when he was in charge of Liverpool but says he will use it in his new job as he wants to give any new players time to settle in before the summer.

Celtic are almost certain to be playing Champions League qualifiers in July once again and after struggling in those type of games earlier in the current campaign, Rodgers thinks that signing players in January will give the new arrivals a chance to bed in to his squad before those crucial early games.

As reported by the BBC, Rodgers told those in attendance at Celtic’s AGM:

Where I came from, if you could improve your squad [in January], then great, but it wasn’t necessary if the right players weren’t available. Having experienced the Champions League qualifiers, the January window is important.

It will allow players to bed in and become fully attuned to our ideas ahead of the qualifiers. We don’t need numbers, but we need a certain profile of player to really compete at Champions League level, which is a few steps up from the level we’re playing at.

Rodgers also suggested that he’ll be willing to let players leave in January too. He thinks his current squad is too big and he will be happy to let any players who aren’t in his plans look for a move away.

I was very aware of the squad when I came here. It’s a little bit bigger than I would want to work with. It takes time to cut down, but all the players understand where they stand. If they want game time, those guys who haven’t moved on will need to look at January and the end of the season. I will always respect them, though. I’m not a coach to put them into a corner to rot. It’s something we will work on in the coming windows.

Celtic are in action again this Friday agaisnt Kilmarnock and they will look to extend their gap at the top of the table.