Neil Lennon – Brendan Rodgers will ‘demand’ quality signings before the close of the transfer window
Neil Lennon has moved to reassure the Celtic supporters that Brendan Rodgers will demand quality signings be brought to the club before the end of the summer transfer window. Many are up in arms following a slow few weeks on the transfer front and the club only really bringing in promising talents as opposed to experienced players
The Hoops have left it late in the past to get quality in the door and that’s what happened during the summer transfer window of 2021, when Ange Postecoglou first took charge of the team. It was a brilliant end to the window as we managed to capture Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota on loan deals and signed Giorgos Giakoumakis in a real coup from Holland.
The Hoops faithful will be hoping and praying we get a move on with proceedings and sign quality additions to aid a team that looks out of sorts at present. There has been a spate of injuries that defies belief at times, however, it looks as though some of the players are struggling to adapt to Brendan Rodgers’ style of play.
With many calling for Rodgers to bring in his own men to aid his vision for the club, ex-Celtic captain and manager Lennon has reacted on PLZ Soccer and cited that his fellow Irishman will demand that more quality be acquired, as the lack of top-class operators in the team leaves his own reputation hanging in light of another UEFA Champions League campaign on the cards.
Listen to Lennon on Rodgers and Celtic’s transfer window…
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Celtic: £85k-p/w target could make Carter-Vickers better
The Hoops have been linked with a move for the Premier League central defender.
Majority shareholder Dermot Desmond and the rest of the board have backed Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers in the transfer market so far this summer.
Who have Celtic signed this summer?
The Northern Irish tactician has been able to bring in six new players to bolster his options across the pitch since returning to Parkhead for a second spell.
Hyun-jun Yang, Maik Nawrocki, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Hyeok-kyu Kwon, Odin Thiago Holm, and Marco Tilio have all come through the door on permanent deals during the window.
The deadline is at the start of next month and the Hoops could make further additions to their squad before it passes.
Celtic were recently linked with an interest in Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Eric Dier, who has been left out of Ange Postecoglou’s matchday squads so far this season.
How good is Eric Dier?
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The 29-year-old colossus is a vastly experienced central defender who could be a fantastic short-term signing to provide a mentor for the younger members of the squad.
Celtic do not have a single centre-back over the age of 25 and new signings Nawrocki and Lagerbielke are both 23 or younger, which shows that Rodgers lacks experience in this position.
None of the club’s current options in that role have played much football at the very top level, as the two summer signings have not played in a major European league.
Cameron Carter-Vickers started his career with Spurs but never made a Premier League appearances during his time in north London.
The USMNT star could now benefit from having someone of Dier’s ilk alongside him at the back.
With 270 Premier League matches and 49 caps for England under his belt, the £85k-per-week defender knows what it takes to perform at the very top level and showcased his ability to deliver consistently excellent displays during the 2021/22 campaign.
Dier averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.01 across 35 top-flight games for Spurs and his form led to Gareth Southgate selecting him for the 2022 England World Cup squad in Qatar, which illustrates how impressive he was at the time.
The former Sporting CP prospect, who was hailed as “reliable” by former boss Antonio Conte, delivered those performances the season after Tottenham decided to loan Carter-Vickers to Celtic after his spell on loan at Bournemouth.
He averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.94 across 21 Championship outings with the Cherries, which was not enough to convince the club to give him a chance in the first-team and Dier’s displays proved that to be the correct decision.
Carter-Vickers has, however, thrived at Parkhead as he was named in the PFA Team of the Year at the end of the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns.
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The USA international has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.14 or higher across his two full seasons at Paradise so far, which could be an indication of the difference in quality between English and Scottish football.
Although, it could also be a sign of his development in recent years and the signing of Dier could help him to take his game to the next level.
The England international knows what it takes to perform consistently in the Premier League and could impart his wisdom on the 25-year-old ace with the hope that he is able to take it onboard.
Rodgers does not have an experienced top-level campaigner like Dier to mentor and help young defenders like Carter-Vickers to improve and that is why he could be a fantastic addition to the squad.
