Rodgers hopes to add more quality

Celtic boss looks to use Champions League as incentive for new faces

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hopes his side’s Champions League adventure can help entice more quality players to shun greater riches elsewhere and move to Parkhead.

Celtic exited Europe with a 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Tuesday after growing into the group stages following a 7-0 thrashing by Barcelona.

France Under-21 international Moussa Dembele hit three goals during the group stages, helping Celtic collect three points and boosting his own profile, after choosing Glasgow in the summer ahead of more financially-rewarding destinations following his departure from Fulham.

And Rodgers, whose own decision to move to Celtic saw him take himself out of the running for more lucrative jobs in England, feels renewed Champions League participation has added to the attraction of the club.

“It has certainly been a great advert for Celtic as a club and what it can do for players,” the former Liverpool manager said.

“If you are working in any of the European leagues or working down in England, there are very few opportunities to play Champions League football.

“But there’s different things that make up a player coming to Celtic. If it’s purely about finance, then they may not come.

“If it’s about the experience of a huge club, developing further as a player, getting the opportunity to play in front of 60,000 every other week with a passionate support, and that appeals to you, then it’s certainly something I’m sure they will consider.”

Rodgers is keen to add to his squad in January, only if it improves the first team, in order to absorb new players in plenty of time for the Champions League qualifiers, although he stressed they had to focus on winning the league again.

But he will not neglect the club’s young players after watching them race into a 2-0 lead in their Uefa Youth League tie with City with the help of a stunning strike from Theo Archibald, although they went on to lose 3-2.

“One of the great things about (Tuesday) was not just the game for the first team,” Rodgers said.

“Myself and my staff went to watch the development team, and it was absolutely brilliant to watch them playing against a young Manchester City team full of quality, but imposing a similar style on to them and playing very, very well.

“So our first look always has to be from within: do we have young players here that we can promote into the first-team squad?”

Rodgers feels Celtic made marked progress during theie Champions League campaign, which started in mid-July with a shock defeat by Lincoln Red Imps. And he is confident they can keep improving for future assaults on Europe.

He said: “If I look back to that first qualifier in Gibraltar and you consider the performances we have had, in particular away from home against Monchengladbach and Man City, I think you have seen the real growth in the team in terms of the quality of their football, how composed they are at this level, the belief they have at the level, which is very, very important, and also the quality of their game, both technically and tactically.”