Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers makes Virgil van Dijk claim

Celtic will know the importance of the upcoming January transfer window. There is already a need to strengthen in some positions across the pitch. On the other hand, the AFC Asian Cup, which is scheduled to start in January of next year, makes things interesting as well. There are quite a few of the club’s players who might be called up by their respective national teams and could end up missing a significant number of games for the Hoops as a result.

So, Celtic are expected to be active in the winter transfer window. But on this occasion, it will be more about bringing in quality rather than quantity.

Most fans were not happy with some of the signings that the club made in the summer. The Hoops brought in nine new players in total but only Luis Palma has been able to establish himself as a starter so far.

Of course, it is important to be patient and give the players time to adjust to life at Celtic Park. Also, Brendan Rodgers brought up the example of Virgil van Dijk when talking about the relation between quality of signings and transfer fees.

Celtic boss Rodgers makes Van Dijk claim

As reported by STV News, Rodgers said while speaking to the media after Celtic’s AGM:

"“Everybody will put quality down to how much you pay, but that is not always the case, Virgil Van Dijk came here for £2m and he was top quality, it’s always a challenge because a lot of players will want to play in a more renowned league.”"

It is very true that Celtic have signed a lot of top-quality players for relatively small transfer fees over the years. But at the same time, one cannot overlook the number of deals that have not worked out in their favour as well.

One understands the new to make ‘project’ signings. At the same time though, the club need to be careful that they do not make too many. Otherwise, it could have a negative impact on all of their development. Let’s hope the Hoops bring in some proven quality in January.