Some believe Celtic is just a stepping stone for players and for current manager Brendan Rodgers. While the latter may well be true (and likely always will be ), the words of Rodgers following a 1-1 tie to Manchester City to close out Champions League play certainly indicate a manager with a long-term future at Paradise in mind.
That’s because Rodgers sees opportunity for himself and for quality players that want to play at the highest level in European football.
“It has certainly been a great advert for Celtic as a club and what it can do for players,” the former Liverpool manager said via the Daily Mail.
After his side earned a second draw against Manchester City on Rodgers laid out a plea for more quality players to make their way to Parkhead and put on the famed hoops.
Celtic won’t be for everyone that is playing at the top of the game to be sure. There’s little quality in the Scottish domestic game today, as evidenced by Celtic’s nearly insurmountable lead before December.
Still, the Hoops can offer what has become the biggest calling card for players on great quality — the UEFA Champions League.
"“But there’s different things that make up a player coming to Celtic. If it’s purely about finance, then they may not come.‘If it’s about the experience of a huge club, developing further as a player, getting the opportunity to play in front of 60,000 every other week with a passionate support, and that appeals to you, then it’s certainly something I’m sure they will consider.”"
Celtic will have to go through qualifying rounds and the like for some time now thanks to the lowly coefficient ranking of the Scottish game these days. But, Rodgers is right to point out that there is no better place to showcase skill, learn the game and play for a quality club for a great wage than at Celtic.
Few clubs are positioned like Celtic are at the moment, with a good bottom line financially, a manager who appears all-in on a long-term vision for the club and a path to European football nearly every year.
What isn’t known is if Rodgers’ plea will fall on deaf ears or not. Luckily, he has one of the hottest names in European football to point to in 21-year-old French international Moussa Dembele. He’s gone from being passed over by the likes of Tottenham and Aresnal to likely breaking the Scottish bank because of his level of personal play.
It also appears that Rodgers’ search for young talent to bolster the squad isn’t limited to the outside world. He was rather quick to praise the young Bhoys after their performance against Manchester City in the Champions League Development game.
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“Myself and my staff went to watch the development team, and it was absolutely brilliant to watch them playing against a young Manchester City team full of quality, but imposing a similar style on to them and playing very, very well,” said Rodgers.
“So our first look always has to be from within: do we have young players here that we can promote into the first-team squad?”
A lot of that attention has come from Dembele’s play in the Champions League, where he netted three goals in six matches in the so-called “Group of Death” this season. But let’s not forget that Rodgers has also been around for the increased level of play from youth squad star Kieran Tierney.
Chances are good that Celtic are going to sell both Dembele and Tierney on, but not before they are ready and their games are honed to perfection.
That is likely to happen sooner than later thanks to his ability to test himself against the best European football has to offer. Would that chance exist staying in England and likely not even getting first-team football this season? No.
Besides, Champions League football is a fleeting thing for even the most ambitious of clubs south of the Scottish border these days. Teams in the relegation fight are dolling out crazy wages, huge transfer fees all in the pursuit of a very small window of opportunity.
Celtic’s window of opportunity is wide open, and it will be interesting to see just how many players like Dembele will come through the doors of Celtic Park in the near future.