The ticking Celtic transfer clock as priority areas rated

However, reports have stated Celtic could add as many as five before close of business. At this late stage, though, that could prove an ambitious target. Injuries to key players have forced the club into somewhat of a scramble, bringing the need for emergency cover in areas which may otherwise have been considered low priority.

Here, Herald Sport examines the positions in question to assess just how urgent Celtic’s need is in each one.

Centre back

The breakneck speed at which Rodgers’ central defensive options have been bulldozed has been jarring for all involved. The manager inherited the country’s best centre-back partnership upon his arrival at Lennoxtown but in just a few short weeks Carl Starfelt has exited stage left for Spain and Cameron Carter-Vickers has cruelly suffered another long-term injury.

Celtic were proactive in adding Maik Nawrocki to their ranks before Starfelt departed, but he too has been consigned to the sidelines, as has back-up option Stephen Welsh. Swedish defender Gustaf Lagerbielke was recruited earlier in August but surely would not have expected to be pushed to the forefront of the squad so quickly.

He partnered Liam Scales against St Johnstone, the Irishman making his first start in green and white since February 2022. Yuki Kobayashi appears to have fallen well out of the picture and that leaves Celtic looking at the need for, at least, short term centre-back cover.

In Carter-Vickers, Nawrocki, Lagerbielke and Welsh, Rodgers does have the four options he set out to acquire, but it’s not much use when three of them won’t be available for crucial months of the campaign. It has created an awkward scenario where Celtic, in the long-term, do not necessarily need another permanent signing but their backline is crying out for an experienced head to carry them through this period.

Names in the frame have been scarce but you feel a loan arrival makes most sense in the coming days, even if it is merely a stop-gap option until January. Liverpool's Nat Phillips now looks the most likely candidate, an imposing centre-back with Premier League experience.

Priority: High

Left back

The most talked-about alteration from Ange Postecoglou’s system has been the shift away from deploying inverted full backs. It was a tactic that became integral to Celtic’s success over the last two seasons, not only bringing the best from Greg Taylor but allowing the likes of Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley to pick up positions that opponents found extremely difficult to cope with.

It is not something Rodgers has eradicated completely, but it is no longer a key tenet of Celtic’s play. This has most noticeably affected Taylor, whose skill set seems far more suited to the inverted role than playing higher and wider. It would be foolish to write off the Scotland international given he has already proven his adaptability, but the role he is being asked to carry out presently is similar to the one which left Celtic fans unconvinced earlier in his Parkhead career.

The alternative remains Alexandro Bernabei, but that he has not started any of Celtic’s competitive matches so far, not to mention reportedly drawing Rodgers’ ire by sleeping in for a team meeting, suggests he is not on the brink of a first XI breakthrough any time soon.

There is a feeling among the Celtic support that a new left back is required before the deadline, and it does stand to reason Rodgers could do with a player more aligned with what he wants from the position. Kieran Tierney during his first stint in the job was the prime example, and at Leicester he signed Timothy Castagne and James Justin to carry out similar jobs. But you do suspect if Rodgers had any intention of replacing Taylor and Bernabei, the club would have initiated that process well before now. The scramble for a centre-back has been dictated by injuries, and that is not the case here.

Priority: Moderate

Centre midfield

The emergence of Benfica’s Paolo Bernardo as a target confirms Rodgers still sees central midfield as an area for strengthening. Celtic do have a wealth of options, even without the injured Reo Hatate, but it has become increasingly apparent that they are either not all quite ready for starring roles or, perhaps, do not fit the profile the manager wants.

Celtic have already signed Kwon Hyeuk-Kyu and Odin Thiago Holm, but the former has not been seen on the pitch since a pre-season debut against Athletic Club in which he struggled badly. Holm is clearly a talent but at just 20, will need time to settle. He was handed a first start in the Viaplay Cup defeat to Kilmarnock and was unable to exert a telling influence on proceedings.

After the opening day Premiership win over Ross County, it appeared a Celtic renaissance for David Turnbull may be on the cards as he backed up an impressive pre-season with two goals. But he has not been quite so convincing in the weeks following and it seems Rodgers feels he needs more in the engine room.

The loss of Hatate to a calf tear is another cruel blow – he is a player whose importance to the side’s creativity cannot be understated. Against Kilmarnock and St Johnstone, it was striking how Celtic were unable to drag either opponent out of their defensive shape, with the Japan international’s ability to pick probing passes badly missed.

Targeting Bernardo appears to be an attempt to solving that problem, at least in the short term as Portuguese media report a loan deal being most likely. The 21-year-old is a technically impressive, creative midfielder who spent last season on-loan with Pacos de Ferreira. That he has found himself out of favour at Benfica need not be an immediate concern, considering the last fringe player Celtic plucked from the Portuguese side did not too badly at all.

Priority: High

Striker

Celtic have been linked with two forwards in recent days. Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarten has reportedly been the subject of offers, but there are conflicting claims as to where a potential deal stands. Italian media have alleged an agreement is close, while sources in Denmark contend Brondby are not particularly interested in selling at this moment in time.

Following that, reports have indicated Celtic also hold an interest in Bologna’s Sydney van Hooijdonk, son of former Parkhead favourite Pierre. Either player would likely arrive as backup to Kyogo Furuhashi, and to compete with the currently injured Oh Hyeon-Gyu. Given Daizen Maeda can also play through the middle, strengthening in this area is likely of lower priority than adding emergency centre back cover or another midfielder.

Interest seems more likely to intensify further down the line, but you just never know what may transpire in the final stretch of a transfer window.  

Priority: Low