Brendan Rodgers intent on freshening up Celtic this summer

Brendan Rodgers believes Celtic either need a freshness in the squad or a new voice in the dugout if they are to guard against complacency.

The Celtic manager quickly stressed his focus would be adding to the squad in the summer transfer market as he anticipates a natural turnover.

Rodgers confessed his anger after Sunday’s defeat by bottom club St Johnstone, which eradicated the opportunity to clinch the William Hill Premiership title at home to Kilmarnock on Saturday.

After losing just twice in the whole of 2024 in all competitions – to Rangers and Borussia Dortmund – Celtic have suffered six defeats so far this year.

Rodgers feels they have lost an edge after exiting the Champions League against Bayern Munich but he was always set on strengthening in the summer, especially after the club failed to replace striker Kyogo Furuhashi in January.

“It’s all about improvement,” said Rodgers, who has already secured the return of Kieran Tierney from Arsenal on a pre-contract.

“I think naturally what you have at our club, there is a natural slide of players that move out and come in every three or four years.

“So I think naturally that will happen. It’s the nature of our model here. But it’s also the nature of players being here and maybe either looking to move on or wanting to come away from the pressure that’s here. Because three or four years of it, it’s a lot of pressure.

“We always have to be ready to replace any players that go. But obviously important for us is improvement.

“We always want to improve the team, improve the hunger in the team. That’s always key. Because one of the ways to succeed and guard across what I’ve been talking about, is you need the freshness.

“It’s either that or the manager goes. It’s as simple as that. There’s no rocket science in it. You cannot be at a club for a long period of time with the same group of players.

“And likewise, the same group of players need a different voice maybe. But at this moment, it will be about improving the squad.

“I think change is needed. That freshness, that new energy coming into your squad that alleviates any of that sort of complacency.

“So we will bring players in to challenge the squad and the team for the summer. That’s natural at any team.

“However this team does at the end of the season, we want to improve it. The team needs the competition.”

Rodgers expects a positive reaction after claiming in Perth that there was a “comfort” in his team that he did not like.

“There’s no doubt that the gap in the league, and also maybe a little bit of coming out of the Champions League, has just taken a slight edge off,” he said.

“So that’s a mindset that I need to continue to work within the squad in order to improve that.

“It’s understandable. But I also know that last year when it was tight, you’ve seen the edge in the team. You’ve seen it at the beginning of the season, the edge in the team when it was tight and everyone starting off with zero points. How we’re able to then power away and find that consistency and quality.

“But I don’t want that to stop. And I want us to continue with that mentality.

“I understand why sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t forget how well they have done. But I can’t accept what that was last week.”