Celtic transfer window shouldn’t be this complicated and continuing neglect of one position is unacceptable – Chris Sutton

Celtic transfer window shouldn’t be this complicated and continuing neglect of one position is unacceptable – Chris Sutton

Greg Taylor is on the injured list. There are six days till the transfer window closes, and no left-back deal has been completed to offset the absence.

Brendan Rodgers has known for a long time that he needed one. If he and the recruitment staff couldn’t spot it as far back as last summer, they weren’t searching hard enough.

In these instances, I completely understand the Celtic fans’ displeasure. I’ll get to the quality issue in a minute, but not even being able to get backup in the door is unacceptable.

Cameron Carter-Vickers has signed a new contract, which is wonderful news. He’s been Scotland’s finest defender for a long, but there are some concerns within the team.

Everyone thinks Celtic will easily defeat Ross County today. They should, but this isn’t the point. The key is that they’ve left themselves light.

Alexandro Bernabei had not been trusted in a long time, and this was the one position that needed to be addressed immediately. It’s unbelievable that it hasn’t been done already.

Is this on Rodgers? Is it due to Mark Lawwell and his team? Is it on the board? For me, it’s about recruitment, and the truth is that Celtic’s market appears to be more complicated than it should be.

Rodgers has spoken about quality and not adding players for the sake of it. That is OK if you are discussing improvement.

However, he stated last week that Celtic needed to be wary of a loading issue with Taylor, which was about support and backup.

So you’re telling me there isn’t a single left-back better than Bernabei out there who fits within the Celtic model? Get off it. Taylor does not cut it defensively in the Champions League,

and you should constantly be looking to improve every position for that, but there is no justification for falling short domestically.

The quality, however, puzzles me. Rodgers stated prior to the window opening that he wanted it, but he only has one in the door by January 27.

What has happened over the last six months? Where are the signs of behind-the-scenes activity?

We all understand the model, and Celtic were on the right track in the Champions League last season, but they aren’t now, and they’re also creating themselves unneeded problems at home.

That is worthy of fan attention. Why is the club not on the right side of these signings? What has happened on that front since Ange Postecoglou left?

The Taylor issue is a prime example, and when you consider signings such as Gustaf Lagerbielke, Marco Tilio, and Nat Phillips, you have to wonder what went wrong.

Liam Scales can play left-back, but he will not be able to provide Celtic with the same offensive elegance as Taylor. He passes and runs, assists, and occasionally scores. Compare the right-hand side.

I’m not out to get after Alistair Johnston, but I read recently he hasn’t had a single goal and barely an assist this season.

Given the necessity for Celtic right-backs to step up and generate quality, that is a dismal return.

Taylor mitigates it to some level, but if he is unavailable, another alternative is lost, and the fact that someone has not been signed and is ready to go right away is not acceptable.

Striker was the second critical position, but as I previously stated, that is not an easy sell because you are either asking a fantastic guy to come sit on the bench behind Kyogo Furuhashi or spending enough money to get someone better.

Finding a left-back to compete with Taylor, in my opinion, is not a significant challenge.

That’s why I understand the supporters’ frustrations, but after reading through the rest of the unit, I’m not sure why certain fans are concerned. Joe Hart is fine.

You could find a better backup, but there’s no need to worry because the defense has Carter-Vickers, Scales, Maik Nawrocki, and Stephen Welsh.

Although not at Champions League standard, it is adequate for the remainder of current domestic season.

Celtic’s midfield is packed, with Callum McGregor, Matt O’Riley, Paulo Bernardo finding his feet, and Reo Hatate returning to fitness. Celtic could not afford to accept Atletico Madrid’s bid and let O’Riley go.

That would have been wild. So he stays, and again, unless you’re paying silly money,

who is knocking McGregor, O’Riley, and Hatate?  out of the team? And Bernardo is proving he’ll be an able back up.

The wings look fascinating. In theory, Luis Palma, Daizen Maeda, Liel Abada, and Nicolas Kuhn are all good possibilities for two positions. But that is only a theory.

Palma and Maeda, absolutely, but I’ll wait till the window closes before I’m really convinced of Abada.

I don’t need to go into the difficulties that the lad has faced over the last six months. Celtic are adamant he will stay, which is excellent because a flying Abada is a proven performer.

Will he get it right? That’s difficult to say. Rodgers claims Kuhn is good, but he’ll have to show it. If he isn’t, Celtic have a problem.

In assault, I don’t mind. Oh, Hyeon-Gyu. I believe he has something as a backup, but he is not ready to take over full-time from Kyogo. On the domestic stage,

Anthony Ralston can cover for Johnston, but the lack of a left-back is obvious, and it’s unfortunate that it hasn’t been addressed with less than a week remaining.

I believe that much of the worry among fans stems from the fact that Rangers do not appear to be going anywhere. Hibs aren’t fantastic, but Philippe Clement’s side demolished them in a way Celtic couldn’t in Leith earlier this season.

Rodgers’ team returns on Wednesday, four days after travelling to Aberdeen. Celtic must persevere during this challenging time.

Overall, I would say  they have the quality currently in place to do it, but they are sailing close to the wind. Really, this window didn’t need to be so complicated. So why is it?

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