Why Celtic manager Rodgers expects a 'big seven days'

Have you got an update on the squad for the St Mirren match?

We are in a good place at this moment. We have another 24 hours to go and we will see where we are. Kyogo should be back for the weekend which is good. I am not sure there were too many other ones that were out.

A few Celtic fans might have got worried when they saw Kyogo linked with a move to Manchester City. Can you enlighten us any more on that? Were you just as surprised as the fans were?

No, not surprised. He is a wonderful player and just obviously looking at all the links and the gossip this week, I thought I was preparing for a five-a-side game at the weekend. We are going to lose all these players. There is always going to be that speculation around, especially going into the last week of the transfer market. There is nothing new to add to any of that. The representatives get to work and they are going to create the speculation and see what comes from there. At this moment nothing new to add.

Matt O'Riley trained today as well. There are reports that a deal with Brighton is at an advanced stage. Is that the case?

Matt trained this morning as he always does. He is the consummate professional and has been brilliant. There have been a number of offers gone in for Matt but there is nothing new to report or add to that either.

Whether it be Kyogo or Matt or any player does there come a point where it becomes too late in the window to accept bids as it is too late to get a replacement? Do you have a cut-off point in your mind?

Yes. For any player, it is not going to go right down to the wire. We have got a big week next week after our game at the weekend. We will be preparing for our last game in this block of games. I wouldn't want that to be interrupted at all. We are pretty clear on where we are and what it is we need to do. Currently at this moment in time, I am happy with the squad both on a level of quality and we have seen that on the field and on a human level as I am privileged to work with this group. We have seen that over the games that we have played. However, if we want to improve as a club we will have to improve the squad and that is something that has been very clear for a while. I am sitting here with a great bunch of players and you see the level that they are playing at, you see how they are working and you see the improvement which is great and that's our job. However, after September and the international break, we will go into a really heavy schedule of games and for us to be competing in all competitions - domestically and not just participating but competing in the Champions League then we will have to do some work in the market.

Can you understand the frustrations of supporters with a week to go in the window that there has not been enough business done in the market? The club are in a strong financial position so what is the message to those fans who are beginning to get tetchy about new signings?

I totally understand. I totally get it. Their ideas are the same as mine. They want to improve. This is a football club with an incredible potential. For some players, we won't be the end game and we get that. It still doesn't mean that our benchmark is domestic football. We have got to have a high bar and our high bar that the club set is that they won the Champions League/European Cup in Europe. We are not just a team and I don't want us to be a club and a team that just participates, takes the money and comes back out and is just happy with domestic success. The benchmark for me is much higher than that.  We want to be in there competing, fighting. We don't have the resources of a lot of them but we can certainly be in there to compete. Before that, you need to have improvement and that is what we want to do every single season. We want to improve.

What is stopping that potential? What is the hold-up?  With the money and prestige that you have at this club, why haven't there been more top-quality signings especially with time running out and a week to go?

I think sometimes you may miss players in the market that have gone. There is also availability and affordability. There are still players that we can get in here that will allow us to grow and develop. I don't want to go into it too much as we will be judged at the end of the market. Sometimes that is when things really wrap up in this final week. The players that we have brought in already I am very happy with. Kasper (Schmeichel), you can see how he has started his Celtic career. His stature, quality, everything. Adam and Paulo are players that you saw last year and that gives us the squad that we had. We want to improve and we have to improve. For a club of ambition and want to be better then that is something we need to look at.

Is there enough time left to do business? You need to strengthen in multiple areas but you only have seven days to do what you want to do.

Time will tell. We have a big seven days ahead of us. I am confident we can do that. Sometimes it is waiting for the right player. The right player we might have seen and then he's gone or he might have decided to go somewhere else. It is okay. Sometimes that does take a bit of time. We will see come the end of the window where we are at. I have always been confident that we can improve the squad by then. 

Is anything imminent?

Nothing at this moment, no.

What's the transfer strategy like? Are you heavily involved now that Mark Lawwell and Joe have left? 

We have got a recruitment team that works tirelessly over a number of months. I have said before that by the end of this window, we will have to look at that whole structure and set-up. The guys that are currently here have worked tirelessly on identifying targets and players that can fit into the model here. It is through no want of trying. Once those guys go through that list of players who fit into the profile of how we want to work that will then come to me to ratify the player that we would want and then that will go forward to the board to look to do the deal. That's how it works.

If the squad stays as it is just now, how many signings do you envisage you will need before next Friday's deadline?

I don't want to give you a number because you will come to me the next day and say you did not get the number. I know in my own mind and I am very clear and focused on what we need to do if we are going to improve. It's not as of nothing is happening. There is a lot of work going on and a lot of great work from the guys upstairs and the guys who are away from here analysing all the players. The work that is going on is tireless. I can assure you of that. It is just getting the right level of quality. What I don't want to bring in is players who just stiffen up our squad. We have already got that. We have players in here who are good players. If we are going to improve then we have to get another level of player to come in to add to that. That's the search. Sometimes those guys aren't always there at the beginning of the window because they have gone away with British, European or Asian teams for pre-season and then it is the latter part of the window when they get told if they are staying or going. That is sometimes why there is a delay and there is a mad rush in the last week. That's what we are hoping we can do and exploit that moment and bring in the players that we want.

There has been talk of Matt, Kyogo and Reo Hatate moving on. How important is it that several of your top players don't ship out next week?

I don't think it will be that. I am very aware from both times here that this is a club that has always attracted the interest of other clubs in other leagues that have more financial resources than ourselves. That will always be the case. If you look at a player that is playing for Celtic and doing really well then you know he is coping with pressure and winning every other week and he has a winning mentality. You also know he is playing at the highest level of European football. That is always a great benchmark for another team or club to see whether the player is going to be ready for their club or not. I don't think that will ever stop, especially at a club this size. We are also clear in the club that there is not a big push for us to move lots of players. Some will go because that's where we are at as a cub. There is no need to lose four or five players that are of real quality.

You said last week that you wanted two number-one strikers. On the back of that, I take it you would not entertain any interest in Kyogo?

Not really, no. Naturally, it comes and we just deal with it. There's been nothing from Man City. It is rumour and gossip. Most importantly for me, he is now back feeling comfortable and on the grass and he's been brilliant in training during the last couple of days and he'll be available for the weekend.

A link like that is pretty extraordinary. Have you spoken to Kyogo about that?

I  haven't spoken to him directly on that. If I was speaking to every player about gossip and speculation then I would be working 24 hours a day. It's of no interest to me and my focus is very much on Celtic and preparing the team for the weekend. That's what we've been clear on. Gossip and speculation are normally based on players who are doing well. That will come. My focus is elsewhere.

Does next week determine whether you will be in the Champions League competing and taking you to the next level of reaching the knockout round?

That's the plan. When we won the league last season my plan was to come into this new format and see if we can break this barrier of coming through the play-off stages and into the knockout phase. That is the challenge. I knew what we needed in order to do that. That is still very much in our plan. This club for the last number of years have played very well in games and we haven't been able to take that next step. In order to do that as a manager and coach you know the improvements that you have to make. Last year we were close in a lot of the games and we want to develop that and move forward. I know what we need in order to do that so let's hope that we can.

How do you balance your ambition with frustration if you miss out on players?

I’ve been here before. I can manage it better now. That doesn’t mean it makes me any less ambitious. This is the club that I want to be at and I want to do the very best because I represent the supporters, to drive the team and move forward. Every coach or manager will have a moment in the window where they’re frustrated because you want to get players in so you can work with them and give them time. I believe that the culture here is set up to coach players to be better and improve. The quicker we can get them in, then the quicker the improvements take place. Unfortunately, we’re not in total control of it, you’re always reliant on the other clubs as well. Sometimes you have to have that patience. It’s very difficult for supporters and it’s so hard because there’s so much you read and hear. As a Celtic supporter, you may look at the team and go ‘Wow, they’re playing so well and if we can add the few that can really elevate that then it can be a really exciting season’. That is my intention here as well. It can be frustrating but experience tells you that you have to be patient and wait and judge it when the market closes.

The average supporter is saying to spend a little bit more money. Is it as simple as that with fees and wages?

Well, it’s not as simple as that but it is something that does help. You can’t question that. Listen, we would all love to buy a player for £1 million or £1.5 million then move him for £30-35 million - every club would love to do that. The game will tell you that sometimes you have to pay a little bit more to gain that extra bit of quality that is needed. That’s not to say that you can’t get players like Matt O’Riley, but it doesn’t happen a lot. I think if you’re always in that bracket, then the reality is you have more misses than you have hits. That’s the reality, especially with Celtic. This is a huge club, a massive club. If it was in a different league then this thing would absolutely take off. Where we are and the league we are in, it’s still a draw. This is an iconic club and we’re ambitious to be the very best that we can be here. So for that - and we have resources - we can get that level of player that can help us. I’m not one that says “only £8 million signings will succeed” and the ones that are only £1-2 million don’t. I’ve been around it long enough and seen it long enough to understand where we’re at and what it takes to get that extra little bit - you have to pay for that. That’s something I’ll continually push for.

Can Celtic’s reputation of being a cash-rich club hinder them during negotiations? Is that a feature of the transfer market?

It can happen. I go back to what I’ve said about some of our players - it’s about value and worth. If we have a value on a player and we see that value to be a certain price, then we’re strong enough to stay with that price. For a lot of people in this line, it’s very much business and we’ve got people here who have got great business minds - that’s why they’ve been successful. I come from a football mind where I want the best football team on the pitch because that’s the bottom line. The bottom line is the team getting the best team on the pitch, so the supporters can see that and be excited about that. I think the business side of that - there are always negotiations and then teams come to an agreement. Then both teams win - hopefully!

On Mikey Johnston, are you getting to the stage with him and the club where it’s good for him to go somewhere else and play football regularly? There seems to be a lot of interest in him - is that something that could happen soon?

There’s speculation about Mikey. He’s been out and won’t be involved at the weekend but he’s back training with the group and we’ll just see what happens. Mikey had a difficult period of injuries for a couple of years but he’s well over that now. He really showed a real robustness last season when he trained right the way through and had some nice impacts in games for us. He needed to go out because he wanted to play more and did that at West Brom. He did that really well and that will clearly bring some attention to him. We’ll see how the next week goes and take it from there.

Gustaf Lagerbielke is another player who has got a lot of interest. Do you expect him to leave before the window ends?

I think to be fair to Gustaf, to go and play would be important for him. He and I have spoken on this here. It’s been a difficult move for him but I have to say he’s been absolutely brilliant - every day in training. I recognise how difficult it has been for him for at times not to be on the bench and to be training here as a small group on a Saturday morning or Sunday morning. He’s never once wavered from being the ultimate professional and for me, he deserves the chance to go and play. He’s not been in my plan to play but he’s been a great teammate and a real privilege to coach. He deserves an opportunity to go and play and we’ll see what that looks like.

With Maeda, do you think we’ll see more of him up top this season?

It’s going to be really difficult to play him, Kyogo and Adam Idah up front at the same time! He actually does play up front for us a lot here but on the side. I think what he showed and what was nice to see was that last weekend he showed that he can play as a striker. I know there’s probably a cry for more but I see these guys every day. I have seen Daizen in his past play as a striker. With the two guys that we have, I’m fairly comfortable that if I needed a third one that I can put him there and he can do the job. He’s really shown that he can score goals. He’s different to the other two, but he can still score goals. My feeling more in the summer was more around a younger player, and I wanted the younger player to be someone from within our academy. That didn’t quite work out. We could go into the market and maybe get a younger one from somewhere but the reality is our priorities are elsewhere. I have to look after that, but knowing that I have Kyogo, Adam and Daizen there as the third one - that’s where we are at presently. 

With Gustaf going, does that make centre-back a priority?

It’s something that we’re looking at anyway. It’s not new.

The SFA report about U21s and young players not playing as much in Scotland and the Scottish league as much as other European leagues. You’ve lost Rocco Vata in the summer and there’s talk of Daniel Kelly going away too. Is it difficult to get these young players into teams or is there something the league could do to encourage that?

I think there are a couple of things. For young players fundamentally the league is too small. It becomes very cut-throat with top-six and bottom-six - if you’re bottom-six then you’re fighting for your life at the end of the season, and if you’re top-six then you’re in there because you want to avoid that stress. That can be a difficult environment to put young players into. For a club like ourselves, it’s all about patience. We’ve had many examples of young players here, and the young players that have shown patience with Celtic and put their trust into the club with their development - those are the guys that have come through here and done really well. James Forrest, Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney, Tony Ralston - all these guys. Some have been around and seen games and been permanent members of the team, whilst some have been important members of the squad. Celtic have shown that if you’re willing to show patience - because it’s a real challenge to get into a Champions League squad at 18 -, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be ready at Celtic. There’s definitely a lack of patience between 18-21 and that then means that some players decide to then move on and go out. That’s something that is out of Celtic’s control. Some might think it’s for development, some might go for money, but at a club like this here, the guys that are patient with it are the ones that have found their way through into the team. I think overall there are real talents up here - gifted players - but there’s no doubt that the league format could help maybe nurture and bring more players through. 

On St Mirren, Stephen Robinson’s team dipped their toe in Europe this year. What are your thoughts on a tricky away tie?

Always tough games at St Mirren. We managed the games really well last season I felt. He’s an excellent manager and I really like him. He’s very honest to the game and he works tirelessly. He works hard with his staff to maximise the resources that they have. For St Mirren to be in Europe is a great testament to the work they’ve done. It is a real challenge for some of the guys with the squads that they have, because they have great success at home and then go into Europe and the depth of the squad makes it a real challenge. I’ve seen players do amazing, like Barry Robson at Aberdeen who got into Europe and then lost his job having done so well! I look at Stephen and I think he’s done an amazing job at Motherwell - getting them into two finals as well as being competitive. He moved away then came back to St Mirren and likewise, his teams are really organised and he has a clear philosophy in how he plays and sets his team up. All of the players buy into that and they work very hard. We always respect the opponent we are playing and none more than them. We’ll be ready for the weekend, we’re in our flow and working really hard in training - which we’re taking into our games. We’ll look forward to Sunday.