Brendan Rodgers on Celtic transfers and answers UCL question
They have already signed six in the summer window but only two - Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren - started on the opening day against St Mirren. That would suggest more first XI additions are required.
They look lightest in the wide areas with Nicolas Kuhn sold to Como and Jota injured long term. Many names, like Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Jakob Breum, have been on the radar but the club don't appear any further forward with getting anyone in.
Ahead of Sunday's trip to Aberdeen, Rodgers has been asked for an update on transfers.
He said: "I've got nothing new for you, no. It's very clear what we need to improve, and a lot of work is going on clearly by ourselves and probably every club. That's the reality of this time of the year, there's a lot of work going on throughout many clubs.
"I know the work that Paul [Tisdale] and his staff are putting in. So yeah, we're hoping that we can conclude some deals and improve the squad.
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"As a football club, we will want to have the best available squad that we can to get through the season. I mentioned it before, I think a manager always wants it now, you know, to prepare the team as early as you can. But we know the window shuts by the end of August and hopefully by then everything is in place, we're all stable and then ready to go."
Asked why it's been so difficult to get attacking players in, Rodgers responded: "There's obviously many things that go into it. I don't do the deals, so I can't answer that for you, but I know that behind the scenes, obviously, there's a lot of work, there's a lot of discussions that go on to conclude deals.
"I'm hopeful that come the end of this window, we will have those deals concluded and we get the players in that can help us go forward. I think the focus now at this moment for myself is to really make sure that the players that are here are in the best possible condition, best mindset to play the games and and that that's where we're at at this very moment."
The two-legged Champions League play-off is seen as pivotal given the riches on offer for reaching the league stage as well as the difference it can make to a season in terms of having high stakes games to compete in.
It would therefore be a boost to have new players in before then, but Rodgers admits he is in the dark over whether that will be possible.
"I really don't know," he added. "That's my honest answer. We just have to keep working to look to get the players in and in the meantime work with the players that are here to make them the best that they can be."
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