Former Scotland international Michael Stewart has slammed the current Celtic side, claiming that the squad is the weakest it has been since Brendan Rodgers’ arrival.
Writing in his column for the Scottish Sun, Stewart launched a vehement attack on the champions: “Celtic are a shadow of the Invincibles side Brendan Rodgers had two years ago,” he said.
“And the scary thing for them is I don’t see that changing before the transfer window closes on Friday. This is a worrying time for the Parkhead club. They are not in a great place right now.
“He [Rodgers], like everyone else, wants to progress and move forward. Celtic, though, are going backwards. In terms of personnel they are weaker than they have been at any point during the Northern Irishman’s reign.”
OPINION
These are indeed worrying times for Celtic. Dumped out of Champions League qualifying by AEK Athens recently, and scraping a 1-1 Europa League draw away to Lithuanian minnows FK Suduva last week, the sparkle appears to have well and truly left Rodgers’s side. A couple of years ago Celtic went the entire Scottish Premier League season undefeated, but they have already lost to Hearts in the league this season. It’s a sorry state of affairs at Parkhead at the moment, and it won’t be helped by Rangers’ largely positive start to life under Steven Gerrard. The champions failed to adequately strengthen the squad this summer, and now they’re running out of time to make any top class additions. Odsonne Edouard’s loan was made permanent, while Scott Bain and Emilio Izaguirre have arrived on free transfers, with Daniel Arzani joining on loan from Manchester City. Those moves are not enough, and Celtic have clearly slipped as a result. Rodgers will be hoping for a strong finish to the transfer window, but it’s looking unlikely at this time.