Are Celtic fans right to worry about squad depth?

Pre-season friendlies can provide a good sense of the state of play, but they are never the best indicator of where teams are before the actual tests begin.

When Celtic defeated Newcastle United 4-0 last weekend, things looked hopeful, but a 5-1 defeat at Ajax on Thursday raised some questions in the club’s fan base.

One fan complained to BBC Scotland, “We lack serious depth.

Another person said, “No ambition spells failure.”

In just nine days, Brendan Rodgers’ side will face St Mirren to defend their Scottish Premiership title, and the Northern Irishman has made it clear that he wants more players.

After his Arsenal contract expired, Celtic have returned Kieran Tierney to the team, and recently capped Scotland goalkeeper Ross Doohan and forward Callum Osmand have also signed free deals.

The J-League has welcomed Hayato Inamura and Shin Yamada, with Benjamin Nygren leading the pack overall with six incomings.

Rodgers, however, stressed the need for more transfers, especially in forward areas, even before the humiliating defeat at Ajax.

He said, “I believe there is still work to be done.” “I think the players we have in the building have been very, very good so far in the pre-season, but, like I said, there is still work to be done in the market.

I’m confident that we will be able to close the market before the market is over, and I think it’s very clear where our gaps are.

With Nicolas Kuhn leaving for Serie A side Como, further goals and assists have been taken out of Rodgers’ forward line, but Kyogo Furuhashi’s goals have never truly been replaced when he left for Rennes in January.

In 165 Celtic appearances, Kyogo and Kuhn combined for 21 goals and 15 assists last season.

With a long-term injury, Portuguese winger Jota is out, and it’s uncertain whether Adam Idah will be able to lead the line in high-stakes competitions.

Rodgers has stated repeatedly over the past 18 months that he prefers players who raise the squad’s ceiling.

Rodgers’ frustration with some aspects of the club’s transfer business grew during his first tenure as manager.

When Maryan Shved arrived in January 2019, Rodgers claimed he had no knowledge of him and was frustrated by the number of wingers joining the club.

Before Shved was loaned back to Karpaty Lviv, he said, “We have about a million wingers, we don’t need another.”

Celtic would only have one league start for the international from Ukraine.

Rodgers hasn’t expressed any of his grievances this summer, but he did claim that Inamura wasn’t in his first team’s plans when the Japanese defender first arrived.

When asked if Inamura would be ready to start in the Celtic starting XI, Rodgers replied, “No, he won’t be.”

He participates in the club’s investment.

Inamura should provide competition for Tierney on the left side of defense with his impressive displays during friendlies.

Anthony: Pre-season results are frequently given too much attention. Although the first team appears to be playing some good football, it’s obvious that we lack serious depth and that questions must still be raised at centre- and top-back. The league and transfer market will be crucial in shaping our season over the next two weeks.

Lewis: The sooner Celtic can resume playing domestic football, the better because they have shown that cheap purchases can’t be done. Don’t let anyone get the wrong impression of this bleak Scottish football team.

Kevin, I have no worries about my home. A different story unfolds on the European stage. The board’s slack approach, as usual, will come back to bite them because we need a reliable striker and we simply don’t have one any more. No ambition will lead to failure!

Joe: Overall, this squad is fragile, and I’m worried about the team’s insufficient supply of quality signings. We don’t currently need project signings to qualify for Champions League or the domestic challenge. Keep in mind that we are not yet there.