Who Celtic's Rodgers thinks will be 'worth more in 24 months'

Brendan, how is your squad looking?

The general group is okay, we’re just looking at one or two between now and the weekend. Today was a lower-intensity day anyway. The players have been really good all week and we just decided to make one or two players do a little bit less today. We’ll have a final look at them tomorrow.

Are those two still in the mix for Sunday?

Yeah, Alistair Johnston will be fine for Sunday, Kyogo we’ll just have to have a look at tomorrow.

News has emerged over the course of the last few days that there will be no away fans in games with Celtic vs Rangers - the first two, at least. As someone who spoke so enthusiastically about the return of supporters, what’s your reaction to it?

I’m clearly disappointed for both sets of supporters because it’s been a long time since there was a decent allocation for both clubs. It’s not complicated, I believe there was an agreement in place to carry out work to ensure that the clubs are in place to allow supporters to come. Celtic have been working on that for a number of months, and I know the work and investment that’s gone into it to ensure that everything was right for this fixture. You can only do that if the agreement is upheld by both. If you cannot guarantee that, then sadly we are not able to open the gates for away supporters. I think the statement was for the next two games, so fingers crossed that after that we’ll see fans back in place for the final games.

Could Celtic have taken it in good faith that Rangers had everything in place in time for the return fixture next year?

No, I think the board have made a really good decision, in terms of the club’s job to protect the support. If there is not that guarantee come the second fixture, then it’s only logical that you wouldn’t reciprocate. I think Celtic have played their part in what there has to be done, and I go back and say nothing of this was Celtic’s issue. Nothing. When you go back to when this all started, it’s nothing to do with Celtic. Celtic gets dragged into this here as being a Celtic-Rangers thing. It’s not a Celtic-Rangers thing - it’s a Rangers thing. Celtic when they’re asked to have this agreement and make the stadium safe, we ploughed the money in and the work started months ago. Like I said, on both parties it hasn’t been agreed. it’s not complicated. Good faith, or however you want to put it, there’s still an agreement for both, and it’s still not done. It’s not great faith if we allow Rangers supporters in when our supporters can’t get in. It’s not good faith. I think that the agreement has not been upheld, so Celtic rightly have to defend their supporters and the club. Sadly, Rangers supporters miss out on this game and Celtic fans in the return game. Let’s hope that after that, we can find a way to get the supporters in.

You mentioned that Kyogo is a doubt. Is it a good thing you’ve got Adam Idah? You’ve got to be delighted that one’s done.

As if by magic! I’m absolutely delighted. People talk about transfer fees and everything else - this is a guy who paid that last year. I’m delighted for him because I think that he’s got huge potential and he showed that last season. I was so relaxed when he signed because I knew what his talent was. What you never know sometimes in recruitment is mentality. I think what I have seen in my time here is that he proved to me that he has that big-club mentality. I wanted to do everything that I could - and I thank the board for reaching out and getting Adam here - because I think that over the next two to three years he can really flourish and show all of the quality that he has. He’s in an environment where he will improve, he’s shown he can deal with pressure in big moments and I’m really excited for him and for the supporters and team. We’ve got someone back who can help us going forward.

Are you surprised at some people questioning the fee?

You can never win, can you? You don’t spend money, you do spend money or you spend too much money. We’ve got a great deal, and I know the player that we have here. It’s just the case of getting him moving in the direction that I believe he can get to. He has all the talent, 6 foot 3, quick and strong, his touch is good and he can score goals. Like I said, he has big moments in big games. For me, there are still areas where he can improve, of course, but you expect that as a young player. I do think whatever money we paid for him, he’s worth every single penny of it. He’ll be worth a lot more than that in 24 months' time.

Is that a good problem to have, in terms of trying to work the game-time for Adam and for Kyogo as first-choice strikers?

I’ll make it clear that I see both of them as number-one strikers. Kyogo in his time here has been brilliant, this season he started off the season really well. You cannot rely on someone to play to the highest level 55-60 games a season. We want to go deep in as many competitions as we can. That will take us to that number of games. You can’t have just one striker to do that. I felt that I wanted another guy who I could call a number-one striker. That’s what I feel I have, it just depends on the game, the energy, the team and the circumstances around the fixture list. Having those two is a big asset for us.

The only blip last season was the League Cup. That came quite early on in your return to the club. Does that give you extra determination to go out and get that trophy this year?

We were disappointed last season and I think I mentioned it before from my first season I sort of had a ball and chain wrapped around me in terms of winning trophies and everything else. That probably allowed us to break free from that in an indirect way even though we would love to have won it. Certainly from that point, we have progressed and developed. The team is in a much better place now. My compass is always looking at training. I look this season at how we've been training and how we've been working and we've been able to take that onto the games. This is the next game and it is the most important one. We want to get through. There is no doubt, I've always said it and we should set that mentality and target that we want to win every trophy. That is something we know we have to work very hard to do. That starts on Sunday.

In terms of Adam Idah signing is this move a sign for the fans that the club mean business? Are you confident that there will be more business done in the last two weeks of the window?

I think for supporters and you look at it from their perspective then what they want from the club is two things. One, is your club well run? So, there is no doubt that Celtic is super well run as a club. The organisation is very good. Two, supporters want to have the best team possible on the pitch. That allows them to skip back to each game and be really excited about watching their team. I always think that's the challenge. That is our challenge. To get to the end of this window and have the very best team that we can possibly have on the field. That's what we want. That's what the Celtic supporters want. Hopefully, we can do that. I say hope, I want us to be able to do that.

You spoke in January about persuading the club to be braver in the market is Idah a perfect example of that? You are getting quality straight away and could be a good investment down the line as well.

Yes. It is the attitude to risk. You can sign a player for one or two million and you might sell them for 10 million. You can buy a player at seven or eight million and sell him for thirty or forty million. It's the same thing. It is all about trusting the process and the team of people who work really hard and allow me to get the players in. The Celtic supporters are deserving of that. What they invest worldwide in this team in terms of merchandise and everything is incredible. It is our duty to try and get the best team we possibly can on the field. That inspires them to come and watch their team. That's what we try to do with the style of football that we play but that will always be elevated by the level of player that you have. That is our notion over the final weeks of the window to look to have a really strong team.

Are you at the stage now where other clubs are still interested in your players? Will that determine what the club do? Is it a case of deciding whether or not you will have money coming before deciding where to spend it?

I don't think so. Financially we are in a really good place. The sale of anyone doesn't have to determine what we do. I have said before we don't want to lose Matt O'Riley. I still believe we need to strengthen in certain areas and we have the resources to do that. Selling players won't determine what we can bring in. We need to improve the squad. That is separate from the guys that are here because they have been absolutely brilliant. They have been great for me. We have connected and it has been great. You always have to look to improve and there are certain gaps in our squad where we are light in terms of numbers, cover and competition. So that is what we have to work very hard to try and achieve by the end of the window.

Going back to the competition how important can the League Cup be at this stage of the season with the chance to get a trophy in the cabinet early on? Does it give you that platform for the rest of the campaign?

Yes. I think it is good. I enjoyed it the first time I was up here. It brings a nice edge early on in the season rather than having to wait until later on in the campaign to win trophies. I thought it was really good. It is an opportunity for you to get your hands on a trophy and be a great part of the history of this club. We want to challenge in every competition that we are in. This is our first one here and I am excited by it.

It's getting to that stage of the season where a lot of fans will start thinking about Europe with the Champions League a month or so away now. Is that going to be a factor in what you will look to do improvement-wise before the end of the window? Are you targeting players who can come in and make an impact at that level? Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn weren't part of the Champions League last season but they have come in and made a good impact. Is that the sort of player you would look to bring in?

If you look at those two players then two of the key attributes they possess are power and speed. At that level, it is very important. You can have all the tactical ideas in the game and whatnot but at that level speed and power alongside the technique. That is certainly some of the attributes we would look at in the players we bring in.

If the valuation of Matt O'Riley is met, how confident are you he can be replaced before the end of the window? 

Well listen, it's not a secret. It's the model of the club. In some ways, it's great that players can come here and prove and develop. We'd love them to be able to stay for 5-10 years. But sadly that's not in the modern game. I do however think it shows that you're doing something really right by bringing a player in, developing and improving them, and then he grows to a level where his ability allows him to go on and earn much, much more than what he can earn here. That's fine, I think everyone accepts that, but the next bit's crucial: getting that pipeline in place that allows the next one to come in and then that allows you to freely understand if a player moves on, but you can then bring in the replacement straight away or have them here before they leave. 

Is that what you prefer, to have someone in before someone else leaves? 

It's either way, really. I think it's having the competition and having the quality into the squad – that's what you want. Obviously, the earlier you can get that in the better, but there's no doubt it's very difficult. You can certainly develop the team if someone like Matt was to go or another player.

Is the recruitment process behind the scenes up to speed? 

I think we need to improve that – but the department and the people that are here are absolutely fantastic. The work they've put in over the course of the summer and going back over the months and being so diligent covered many games travelled out to games, they've done so much work on that front. 

But it's still an area I think that we can review the window and see where, like every area, where we can improve it. And I said it, I think it was last week, that recruitment is key, alongside your playing, management and coaching staff. Because as I said, if you don't get that right, there can be very costly mistakes. So for us, it's a constant look at it where we can develop and improve it. But the guys that have been here, they've worked ever so hard going through the various options and availability of players to try and help us.

On the fee for Adam and the money that's still there to be spent. Normally when that amount is spent it's an outlier. But is there a change here where the same could be spent again during this window? 

I think I've said before but, for example, if you spend £18 million, and you spend it on nine players, I would hope there's a possibility to spend 18 on three players. Our model is to bring in young players to develop and improve, but you can bring young players in to develop and improve but at a higher level. And then you know a little bit more of what you're getting maybe and there's maybe a higher ceiling. But you might be able to bring in one more at that level and or two more. I think we can do that, it's just about getting the right player. 

Is Mikey Johnston okay after last week? 

Yeah, he won't be available for the weekend. He'll rejoin the training group fairly soon. Yeah, a little problem with his eye socket up a deeper back in his face, but hopefully he'll be OK fairly soon.

What's [Johnston's] situation this season? 

I'm open at the moment in terms of where things are at, I gave Mikey his debut back and and when he was 18 and played him. So we've got a good relationship and we talk openly. I think he's at the stage where he'll probably want to play more. But he's worked hard over pre-season and put himself in a really good position. There are some clubs that have shown interest in him, but we'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks.