THERE are still another three games of the season remaining to be played, but the Celtic summer transfer window rumour mill is already up and running.
The William Hill Premiership champions, who will take on their Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final opponents Aberdeen in their penultimate league match at Pittodrie this evening, have been tipped to sign a raft of players from the four corners of the globe.
There are sure to be many more exotic foreign names, some definite targets, others not so much, linked with the Glasgow club in the coming weeks and months regardless of who remains in situ in the East End and who departs.
Yet, could manager Brendan Rodgers, who yesterday admitted that he is keen to build upon the progress which his side made in Europe during the 2024/25 campaign next term, look far closer to home to strengthen his squad? There would appear to be every chance.
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The Northern Irishman, who is on the verge of leading his boyhood heroes to a ninth domestic treble, acknowledged that having a nucleus of Scottish players has been integral to the success which he has enjoyed during his two spells in charge of Celtic.
He brought in defender Luke McCowan from Dundee for £1m last summer and is looking forward to welcoming Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney back in to the fold imminently. He confessed that bringing in homegrown footballers remains a priority for him and his club.
“I think it’s very important whatever league you are in,” he said. “If you are in Spain having a Spanish core is important, it you are in Italy it would be an Italian core. For me, it absolutely key.
“The boys who have come through at Celtic here understand what this club is about. They have been here as young guys, they have come through, they are brought up in the values of Celtic.
“Guys like Tony [Ralston] are really pivotal to the culture of this club. He doesn’t play every single game, but he is probably one of our most important players here because of his history at the club.
“I haven’t spoken to him [Tierney] a lot of late. We have exchanged messages and stuff. But I know his love of the club and his excitement about coming back here. I am sure he is champing at the bit to get back.”
The man who has given first team game time to Jude Bonnar, Daniel Cummings, Johnny Kenny, Sean McArdle, Dane Murray and Francis Turley during the past nine months, confessed that his preference would be to give the best young kids who are coming through the youth ranks at Lennoxtown the opportunity to show what they are capable of.
But he admitted that is, with a side which reached the Champions League knockout rounds this term and is poised to complete a clean sweep of domestic silverware for the second time in three years, not always possible.
“I think it is twofold,” said Rodgers. “You always look from within to see if there are players in your academy who can make the step up. It has been very difficult in recent times just because of the level which the team and the club are operating at. But there is a pathway for a young players here 100 per cent, with patience and a bit of development.
“So that is your first look. The second look of course is outside. I have loved working with the Scottish players when I have been up here. Going back to my first spell I had Ryan [Christie] and Stu [Armstrong] and all the other guys. They were absolutely brilliant for me.
“That is what we do. We look homegrown to see if there is anyone we feel can improve our squad, to see if there is a young player who can come in and has that potential to be a starter here. So, yeah, it is always something we cover in our recruitment.”
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Rodgers’ comments are sure to fuel speculation about Celtic making a move for Lennon Miller of Motherwell, who was yesterday named the DoubleTree by Hilton SFWA Young Player of the Year, during the summer months.
If the former Swansea City, Liverpool and Leicester City manager, who is resigned to losing his first choice left-back Greg Taylor after the Scottish Cup final, believes the 18-year-old can help the Scottish champions to move forward at home and abroad in the seasons ahead then he will not have any qualms about tabling an offer.
“It is about consistency,” he said. “I mentioned when I came back that we want to be a team that is competitive in the Champions League. So firstly we have to get there in the summer.
“But can we build on this season? Is there another level? The players have performed at a really high level already this season. What we want to try and do is sustain that level and sustain that European feeling as well. That is what is important here. If we can build on this year and look to develop, which I think we can do, we will be doing well.
“If I kept everyone in the squad I have, then I would only need a few changes within that to upgrade it. But of course you never know how the summer goes. Either way, we will be really excited for next season to take on the challenge of the league again and look to progress in Europe.
“We build on our past, we don’t just sit on it, or glorify in it. Especially when there important games to go. We have an opportunity with three games to go to break more records, to finish the season with another trophy. That would complete a stunning season for us, having progressed in the Champions League.”
