Chris Sutton has said that Brendan Rodgers must sign a striker in January.
Writing in his column in the Daily Record, Sutton said that Celtic were “battered” by Salzburg on Thursday and “found wanting at the top level”.
Sutton went on to say that the situation with striker Leigh Griffiths had been handled well by the club but from a footballing perspective, they now have to act in January.
“I’ve always been a fan of Griffiths and he will be a major miss,” Sutton said.
“We don’t know when – or even if – he will get back, but Rodgers will have to bring in a striker during the transfer window.
“Odsonne Edouard is going to have to liven up as well. The Frenchman has shown in flashes but it’s not enough. He’s a young player but he’s been far too inconsistent and you can’t afford to have £10m players putting in performances like that one on Thursday night. Edouard was woeful.
“Celtic’s adventure might go on in the New Year but they are still a million miles away from where they need to be.”
OPINION
Celtic snuck through to the knockouts by the skin of their teeth but they got there and it’s a decent achievement. However, if Rodgers harbours serious European ambitions, he needs to strengthen in January. They had a disappointing summer, with a permanent deal for 6ft 2in striker Edouard the only real addition to the squad. He’s not been performing as we know he can recently and despite some good domestic results recently there’s still a feeling that the Premiership is still alive as a competition. Celtic are relying on other teams slipping up rather than taking charge and dominating at home like they have done over the past few seasons. A striker is essential with Griffiths out and it needs to be a calibre of player who can provide real back-up to Edouard. That won’t be easy in January, when clubs are reluctant to let players go and prices might be inflated, but Rodgers needs to make that his number one priority. Or his Europa League adventures are not going to go well.