Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers irked at lack of quality signings and failure to get deals concluded swiftly

For most observers his words did not come as any great surprise.

There has been a latent undercurrent tugging at the words of the Celtic manager over the last five weeks with regards to how the transfer window has unfolded. 

The distance with which he has notably kept from the dealings involving Australian winger Daniel Arzani - still expected at the club this week - and John McGinn have offered a tacit sense of disapproval.

There was nothing subtle, though, about Rodgers’ comments yesterday which came around the same time as McGinn was being shown around Aston Villa’s five-star facilities. Having had three bids knocked back for the player over the course of the summer, Rodgers was clearly irked at the fact Celtic gambled on the Scotland internationalist’s availability and left themselves open to losing out on what has been an ongoing target.

“I just wanted quality,” said Rodgers. “We weren’t needing a huge overhaul here this summer. For me it was pretty straightforward.

“We need to complete deals. It is as simple as that. One is identifying the players which we do and then get them over the line. We identify the targets and like I say we just hope that they can be complete.

“If you open your door to players in general and they have an opportunity to go through that door and have a look and see that there are other good clubs with facilities and are equal – and probably better – than what is here, then you risk the chance of them not coming back though the door. That is the gamble you take if you wait.

“There are still a few key areas where I want to bring in quality and thus far we haven’t completed on it - not a lot of players, but we needed quality. And that is something that we haven’t got in the building yet to add to the quality that is already here.

“You have to do that when you are in a strong position.

“I am not sure the club has been in a stronger position this summer than what they have been for quite some time.”

Asked if there was a danger of going backwards by failing to invest, Rodgers concurred. “150% . Couldn’t agree more.”

There has been a perennial criticism of the Celtic board for what is regarded as being overly prudent. In some ways that seems harsh – a club record transfer fee of £9m for Odsonne Edouard suggests a willingness to invest in the playing structure – although that outlay has been offset by the sale of Stuart Armstrong to Southampton for £7m as well as the £1m collected from Erik Sviatchenko’s move to FC Midtjylland.

It is difficult not to sense the feeling emanating from Rodgers that he has brought much to the table without getting his full quota back. The Celtic manager has overseen two lucrative terms in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League and remains on course to deliver a third. He has done so while maintaining an unblemished grip on domestic football.

Financial figures have reflected that with February’s financial results from Celtic showing £31m in the bank.

Financially the club are in rude health while continuing to set the tone domestically. Despite what Rangers have done this summer in terms of recruitment there remains a feeling that Celtic are well out of sight for the time being.

And therein lies Rodgers’ irritation.

“I always respect that there is a balance because we’re not in the market with the resources to go and spend nine, ten, eleven million pounds on every player you sign. You can’t do that,” said Rodgers.

“But I think we’ve earned, over the few years, the possibilities to – where the squad needs the actual real genuine quality – the ability to do that. So hopefully we can.

“This is the best time for improvement. I’ve always said it, you can’t just wait and sit back. You’ve got to keep improving and developing and that’s something we need to do.

“That’s a constant thing, it’s not just every other year.

“Every single year you have to develop and improve.

“Talent is fine. I’ve done that all my life, all my career. I’ve worked on improving talents, whether it’s 19 year-olds, 20 year olds, 17 and 18 year olds. But you also need proven talent.

“And there is an expectation here at Celtic to work, not just alongside the talent, but to have proven talent that’s going to allow us to grow.”

If there is an element of discord between the boardroom and the dressing room when it comes to ambitions in terms of signings, it has not manifested itself adversely on the pitch.

Rodgers has taken the club to the halfway point of the qualification stage for the group stages and there has been a fluency about Celtic’s performances in the opening weeks of the campaign.

The manager himself sought to offer an assurance that he remains on song when it comes to the daily graft but equally there is a sense of expectancy now before the closure of the window at the end of the month.

“I love it here. I love my work,” said Rodgers. “I love working with the players, developing the team.

“We just try to push the very best we can to deliver on the expectation of what the supporters want.

“The board and everyone are fully understanding and clear and have clarity on my ambitions. Absolutely.

“I think we will see how it all evolves down south when the window shuts. My concern is not that side of it but rather on getting quality in. That is the business side. I run football and operate football and I want top footballers in and I want to work with them as quickly as I possibly can. If there is a business side to it, I understand that but I operate in football and I want footballers in.”