“It can be done, and like I say, we want to make sure in the future it is,” Brendan Rodgers

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The Celtic Star

·30 August 2025

“It can be done, and like I say, we want to make sure in the future it is,” Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers spoke to the media yesterday afternoon at Lennoxtown ahead of Celtic’s trip to Ibrox on Sunday lunchtime…

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Livingston at Celtic Park on August 23, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The Celtic boss reflected on Tuesday night’s calamity in Almaty, possible incomings and outgoings and facing Russell Martin in the dugout for the very first time. Here’s everything that was said at Brendan Rodgers’ media conference…

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Q: Can we get an update on Adam Idah’s future? I believe he’s away down to have a medical at Swansea. Is that correct?

Brendan Rodgers: “There’s interest in Adam. But, obviously, no one can leave here unless we get players in to replace. It’s as simple as that. There’s been negotiations and chatter around it, but I have to have players in here before I can consider letting anyone go.”

Q: Is that a big concern just given the fact that you’ve been wanting to strengthen your front line for quite a while now and there’s now talk of potentially Adam and I think there was a link to Yang in Birmingham today as well?

Brendan Rodgers: “It’s been ongoing for Yang for a little while. I understand that when you’re a player that’s probably been mostly used as a squad player over a couple of years, there comes a point in time and then you maybe want to move on and play. But I’ve been unable to do that because we’ve needed Yang here. I also know that if he does stay, he has a contribution to make because we need five, six wingers because of the number of games we play, the intensity that we want to play. But there has been interest in him. Yet again, I repeat, I can’t really do anything unless we have players in.”

Q: There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to Adam. Obviously a big game on Sunday. Do you know whether you’ll have him available or not definitively either way?

Brendan Rodgers: “Adam had been out for a number of days before the last game and came in. I’m quite relaxed on that. I just need to see what we’re at over the course of next couple of days and then we’ll just we’ll assess it from there.”

Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Celtic FC. Photo Celtic FC

Q: In terms of strengthening, getting potential replacements in to maybe allow people to move out, do you feel you’re any closer to that? I know Michel-Ange Balikwisha, obviously, was confirmed last night.

Brendan Rodgers: “It’s great. We’re getting a player in the building that we’ve seen for a period of time over the last year, and I like his talent and I think he’s got that skill set to play for Celtic, you know, he’s an exciting player who works very, very hard. I’m delighted to get him in. We have Marcelo Saracchi in the building as well, so hopefully that’ll be that’ll be all agreed and signed off within a matter of hours.He gives us that cover that we need for Kieran Tierney in his position. And I’m very hopeful that we can, you know, close the window out over the next few days with getting the signings that’s going to give us that real depth in the squad that we need.”

Q: Do you feel Balikwisha is capable of making an impact on Sunday?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, he’s been playing. He’s obviously fit and strong and he’s been playing games. So, he’s ready-made to play if needed.”

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Q: The Europa League draw today as well. What did you make of the opponents that you’ve got?

Brendan Rodgers: “I’m excited by it when we come in from training, we’ve seen the games and Roma and the different teams that we’ll play. It’s a very another very prestigious competition. Of course, we’re all bitterly disappointed that we’re not in the Champions League. But my point is, and I said to the players this morning, that we’ve had a couple of days to grieve over that, whatever’s happened, but it’s done. And our message now is that we as a team and as a club, we have to be all together.

“And we need to find the solutions as to over the course of the summer, why we weren’t able to strengthen before the games when clearly we wanted to. We need that in-depth look at that. Because we can’t be as a football club in this cycle where we’ve grown for a couple of years. We get to Bayern Munich. We show great signs, and then we stand still. We can’t do that. So we have to understand the why in that. But then the next point is it’s done. We’re not in the Champions League. We’re playing in the Europa League. We have some brilliant games. We get domestic titles to defend. And altogether we can have a really, really good season.”

Q: Celtic trying to do business so late in the window. Why do you think that culture is so hard to change?

Brendan Rodgers: “There are so many reasons as to why transfers don’t get done and don’t get done in time. I just know that as a football manager and coach, you bring in a player in the 1st of July as well as you can. You’ve maybe scouted him and looked at him and done a lot of the work. You bring him in 1st of July. He’s got time to adapt, not just to football life, but his family moving out of hotels, getting into apartments, houses, whatever else. And then when you get to your games, like your competitive games, the games that matter. They’re settled then and ready.

“The example of the young guy at Brugge there during the week, you know, 6 million pound winger. He’s signed. He comes in and does his work and makes a difference. So, for us as a football club, it’s not about investment either, because this club will invest. The club’s super well run. The investment is there. We need to look at the timing of the investment. And does that go back to recruitment? Does it go back to identification?

“All these different facets, but what I do know is we have to be better at it. So, it’s not about investment. The club will invest. We’ll see over the next few days. I’m pretty sure we’ll invest. But we want to get the timing of investment important, just to give us every single chance to be the best version of Celtic that we can be.”

Q: How hopeful are you that this time next year that is something that can be changed?

Brendan Rodgers: “Well, that’s we have to discuss. We have to look at that and and I’d be very hopeful. We’ve got a major owner in Dermot Desmond who’s a super-intelligent guy. We’ve got board of directors who bleed for the club. They want the club to do well. So, everyone here’s connected. It’s not, you know, why I see and I hear all these stories of disconnection. It can’t be further from the truth.

“Every single guy from me, the board, Dermot, we love Celtic, but we want Celtic to be the very, very best. There’s a business model that you see works so well. I want to try and ensure the football model works equally as well. So, it’s fluent and agile and we keep ahead of the game. So, when we lose players, we’re not in this cycle of waiting, waiting, waiting, standing still and missing out on competitions that we want to be in. So, that’s the that’s the idea hopefully, over the coming months.”

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Q: This time last year, you said very much the same thing that a club like Celtic cannot be going into the final weekend of the transfer window when they do business. Was there a discussion about this last year? Did you sit down and talk to people about this last year? Does that have to be revisited because lessons haven’t been learned?

Brendan Rodgers: “Probably if you if you look at what Ange has said, what Neil Lennon’s said, what someone else said, it would be around about the same. So that’s what I’m saying, it’s a trend. So we need to understand that. We need to understand that from a football context. Because you want to be as well-equipped as you possibly can. And like I said, it’s not about investment. The club will invest. But it’s all about timely investment, and I think that it’s most definitely what we need to look at.”

Brendan Rodgers manager of Celtic talks with their players before being substituted on Kairat Almaty v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play-Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan – 26 Aug 2025Almaty Almaty Central Stadium Kazakhstan Photo Nikita Bassov/Shutterstock

Q: Brendan, what happened on Tuesday night had an impact on how much you can invest between now and the window?

Brendan Rodgers: “I don’t think it will. I don’t think it will, because I don’t think we were qualifying for the Champions League and going to spend buying four players for 10 million quid. That was never going to happen, you know? And the guys coming in, I think we’ll look to make good signings. So, I don’t think it would have any impact.”

Q: Is there a sense of frustration that you’re getting players in now after the Champions League play off games? Is there a sense of frustration there?

Brendan Rodgers: “Listen, I don’t want to feed anyone any negativity around the club because it’s been enough of that. The job now is for us all to connect, the team, the supporters and everyone push forward in the same direction, knowing that, yeah, this here behind the scenes, we have to look at. There’s absolutely no doubt about that. But in the meantime, we can’t be frustrated and look backwards. You know, we have to understand that. We will definitely have to improve that if we’re going to continue moving forward. But in the meantime, I have to drive the team and look to get the team forward in the best possible mindset and and look forward to the challenges ahead.”

Adam Idah of Celtic appears dejected after missing a penalty during the shootout Kairat Almaty v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play-Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan – 26 August 2025. Photo Nikita Bassov/Shutterstock

Q: Just on the stance on Adam, not going until you get somebody else, is that going to be a sign that the lessons have been learned from January, when obviously Kyogo left and wasn’t replaced?

Brendan Rodgers: “I just think it’s logical and it’s common sense. You know, we’re really light in that area of the field. And I’m pretty sure there’ll be a number of clubs that want some of our players. But there’s absolutely no way we can move anyone out unless we have absolute guarantees that there’s going to be people to come in to replace.”

Q: When you sold Nicolas Kuhn, there was an expectation that he would be replaced in time for the Champions League qualifiers.

Brendan Rodgers: “I think we all thought that would have been the case, yeah.”

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Q: You sympathise with the supporters’ frustrations. They just want the best for the club and they want to see the club move forward. And it seems like there’s an alignment between what you’re saying, what the supporters want, what the captain’s saying, getting them in early, getting them in at crucial times. And then there’s a sort of roadblock that supporters can’t understand. They just see things not happening, and they see the fallout from that and they get frustrated themselves.

Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, 100%. Like the other night, I walked down to see the supporters before the game and and I don’t normally do that because, you know, I’m normally inside. But I saw a 77-year-old guy standing on the side of the stand the other day, looking in, ready to watch the game. And I’m looking at him and thinking, “Christ, this poor guy has traveled.” He’s probably got loads of connections to get to the game. It’s our duty to make sure the likes of him and all our supporters are served the best possible team we can. So, I know that better than anyone. That’s my job to try and make sure that we can in the future be better equipped to give the best possible team on the pitch. And like I say, Dermot wants that, the board will want that. But we have to find a way to make it happen. Otherwise, it’s absolutely okay saying what you want to do. But you’ve got to act on it. You’ve got to make it happen.”

Kieran Tierney of Celtic Kairat Almaty v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play-Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan – 26 Aug 2025Almaty Almaty Central Stadium Kazakhstan Photo Nikita Bassov/Shutterstock

Q: Tierney and Nygren started on Tuesday. It can be done? It just has to be done more. It’s not impossible?

Brendan Rodgers: “No, it’s clearly possible. Very possible. You can get players in. Recruitment and the signing of players never stops. You know, your January window, you’re already planning for the summer because you’ve an idea of who might go, who might move on. And then your work begins then. You don’t just get to the end of the season, have a holiday and then come back and start your preparation. It all has to be fluid and and the teams that are best organised and the clubs that are best organised will do that. You know, the work will be done. You know that you want value. You also know where you have to get your best team.

“So, it’s all fluid. It’s absolutely possible. It can be done, and like I say, we want to make sure in the future it is. Otherwise, you’ll continue to stop-start. And that’s been the frustration over the game the other night. So, it’s a collective responsibility. We’re all responsible in our own ways. We’ll have to we have to be better at it. And we have to then move on and make this season a really good season.”

Callum McGregor of Celtic applauds travelling fans after the full time whistle Kairat Almaty v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play-Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan – 26 Aug 2025Almaty Almaty Central Stadium Kazakhstan Photo Nikita Bassov/Shutterstock

Q: Is Sunday a chance for the players who are here? I think Callum kind of took responsibility in the week and said the players who are here are responsible for what happened the other night. Is Sunday a chance to kind of, I don’t know, pay that 77-year-old guy back a little bit by getting the win?

Brendan Rodgers: “We’re all wanting that. You know, and obviously a game against theRangers is always a game that every Celtic supporter in the world will want to see their team win. So, there’s no greater game to come back to after that, to then go and play. And domestically, we’ve made a good start. It’s a shame the two 0-0 draws have sort of put a real dampener on it. But we’re going to this game and we want to continue with that good form.”

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Q: You said when you came back, you were optimistic that you could compete in the Champions League again, does it almost feel as if it’s one step forward, two steps back?

Brendan Rodgers: “I want to try and make this club sustainable at the level. You know, I see a club like Club Brugge that seven out of eight times they’re qualifying and their cycle continues. You know, the operations continues, they lose players, bring players in, replace. So, we have to get to that level. Because clearly we’re not to that level. And we have to be honest with that. The frustration always comes because you want the very best for your club, for your team. And we had an opportunity. It hasn’t happened. So, we don’t give up on it. We go again and we look to be the best that we can be this year and see if we can give some great moments to our supporters and everyone involved with the club in a Europa League run whilst fighting domestically.”

Q: Do you think the Europa League has almost opened up an opportunity for Celtic to go even deeper in Europe? Obviously, you come up against a similar level of opposition. But it seems like there’s a real opportunity to take Celtic even further in Europe.

Brendan Rodgers: “Well, there is that possibility. I think that it’s sometimes hard to shift that mindset on to because, you know, we know where we wanted to be. We know where we were last year in the Champions League, and we wanted to try and better that. But like I say, we’re not there. So, you go into Europe. Everyone remembers 2003 and the run that came from not being in the Champions League that season, and then it became one of the great historical runs and seasons in our history. Yeah, it gives us the opportunity to create great memories here, and like I say, let’s see what we can do in the competition in some fantastic games, I have to say.”

Joaquin Seys of Club Brugge celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal with teammates during the UEFA Champions League Play-offs Round Second Leg match between Club Brugge and theRangers at Jan Breydelstadion on August 27, 2025 in Bruges, Belgium. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)

Q: What are you expecting from theRangers on Sunday? Being the first derby with Russell Martin at Ibrox?

Brendan Rodgers: v “Russell knows the landscape. He’s played at theRangers before and he’s come in and it’s always a challenge. You come in as a young manager, you go into a big club. He’s had good success at MK Dons when he was there. At Swansea, and I still follow Swansea. So, I know he’s done a really good job there. He went to Southamp and got them promoted.

“And obviously the Premier League is a big challenge for any club. Then you come to theRangers, which is a big club. You try to impose your style, your way of working whilst trying to change a culture. So, it always takes a bit of time, you know? So, yeah, I’m pretty sure he’ll do really well. In the meantime, you always have to get through the sticky bits of your season. And sometimes those can be at the beginning. And hopefully over time, you can make it better. What do I expect? I expect always a tough game when you play against theRangers.”

theRangers manager Russell Martin. St Mirren v theRangers, 24 August 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: Is he somebody you’ve crossed paths with a lot outside of football or in the past, Brendan?

Brendan Rodgers: “Not a lot. I’ve come across Russell a few times. His team used the, let’s say, Swansea used the Leicester training ground when they were playing a game. But I haven’t come across him too much. I’ve obviously spoke with him on Matt O’Riley as well, because he obviously worked with Matty. I don’t know him that well, but I know he’s a good guy and a good football fellow. These are the challenges that come across you when you move into a big club, and you’ve got to embrace it, I’m sure he is.”

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Q: You only won one in five against theRangers last season. How do you go about recapturing that dominance that you’ve enjoyed in that fixture previously?

Brendan Rodgers: “Play well. That’s a start. I think you think of performance. We’ve won most of our games against theRangers because we’ve played well and focused on performance. Not getting too caught up in the whole hype of it all. Playing without fear and playing the level of football that’s expected here at Celtic. When we’ve done that in the majority of my time here, we’ve played well and won the games. The games last year, the games we lost, we didn’t deserve to win. We were beat well there at Ibrox. We lost a home game that we shouldn’t have lost. And then obviously the draw and the chance to win that game. And then the Cup Final we won on penalties. So, yeah, it’s not rocket science. Play well, play with confidence, compete, fight, run, show your quality and you’ll always have a chance of winning the game.”

Brendan Rodgers during the Premier League match between Celtic and Livingston at Celtic Park on August 23, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: When you analyse those matches, what didn’t Celtic do right, what did you address specifically, areas of performance you weren’t happy with?

Brendan Rodgers: “You always analyse and you always observe the games and see where you can be better. Each time you’re playing against different managers, different coaches, different styles. So, you always have to take that into consideration. I think the game that we lost at Parkhead, we weren’t very good in the first half. Give away two poor goals. Dominated the second half and then lost to a mistake later in the game. So, we shouldn’t have lost that game, but, yeah, listen, you always analyse but then you look to learn from it and then bring it into your next game. So, I’m looking forward to seeing us in the response from our midweek in this game. And like I said, domestically, we’ve started well in terms of performance and result. And I always feel, especially with adding to the squad, that we’ll get better. So, that starts on Sunday.”

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AEK Athens v RSC Anderlecht – UEFA Conference League ATHENS, GREECE – AUGUST 28 : Dolberg Kasper forward of RSC Anderlecht in action during the UEFA Conference League 2025 26 play-off round second leg between AEK Athens and RSC Anderlecht on August 28, 2025 in Athens, Greece, 28 08 2025 Athens Greece Photo: IMAGO Jan De Meuleneir

Q: Just for players coming in, Brendan, you’ve been linked to Kasper Dolberg, the Danish striker. Can you say anything about that at the moment?

Brendan Rodgers: “Not as of yet. There are obviously a number of players that we’re looking at that we need to bring in, especially on the front line. But I think we’ll be pretty busy and active over the coming days.”

Q: If Adam were to leave Brendan, would you be looking for two strikers to come in?

Brendan Rodgers: : “Ideally. Yeah.”

Q: Injury issues, Brendan, in the squad?

Brendan Rodgers: “No, Tony Ralston didn’t train today, but he should be okay tomorrow. We’ll see that. And then the guys that have been out, Auston is still out and Ali Johnston, but other than that, it should be pretty much the same squad.”

Conor Spence

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