Sky Sports pundit James McFadden has said that Celtic are likely to strengthen in the January transfer window as he delivers his verdict on whether the Hoops can seal a third successive treble.
Brendan Rodgers, who had won all six domestic trophies available to him and the Bhoys prior to this season, continued the club’s phenomenal record with their seventh piece of silverware on Sunday, picking up the Scottish League Cup with victory over Aberdeen.
After a summer where they sold Moussa Dembele and Stuart Armstrong, McFadden has said the club look likely to spend in January which will boost their hopes of another clean sweep in Scotland.
Asked if the treble was on again this season, he told Sky Sports News (03/12, 11:20): “Yeah, of course it is. They’re favourites to do it, I think, they will have challengers but whether they can maintain the level of performance required, I think Celtic are back to their best, winning every week.
“They weren’t at their best yesterday (v Aberdeen) in terms of performance but they win games when they have to and that’s a message to the rest of the league.
“I can’t see anyone to stop them to be honest, if they can maintain the levels of performance that they have been recently, I’d imagine they’ll strengthen in January. They had a poor summer transfer window so they’ll want to strengthen in January and lay a marker down to the rest of the league. It’ll be really tough for anyone to stop them.”
Opinion
Big claims from McFadden but there will be few neutrals who will be able to argue with him. As well as quality running through their side, Celtic have that winning mentality which gets them the results needed by hook or by crook and that was evident again on Sunday afternoon. They have struggled to play at their best all season but are still beating sides with ease and they should continue to do just that, especially if they choose to get the chequebook out in the winter window. Fierce rivals Rangers certainly seem to be their closest challengers and so the derby at the end of the year could well determine which way momentum is swinging heading into 2019. If Celtic win, then you can be sure they will feel invincible on the way to another potential title win. Lose, and everything is up in the air. This is shaping up to be one of the most interesting title battles in Scotland for some time and for everyone outside of Glasgow, they will be hoping for a tight finish come the end of the campaign.