Brendan Rodgers in confident Celtic transfer claim as boss offers inside track on shared Dermot Desmond vision

Brendan Rodgers reckons Celtic need first-team ready stars in the mould of legendary skipper Scott Brown and Kolo Toure. And the boss is adamant the Bhoys will land the experienced recruits he is targeting to take the club to the next level.

Rodgers insists the Board and majority shareholder Dermot Desmond share his vision of where he wants to take the club as he prepares for the winter transfer window.

The gaffer is prioritising experienced heads to bolster the energy of his young squad - and help drive their potential. The Northern Irishman said after Tuesday’s Champions League exit to Lazio that the need for quality was glaring. And speaking ahead of the trip to face St Johnstone he highlighted the importance of bringing in older heads. Only two of the 10 summer signings including loan deals were over the age of 23 - Nat Phillips and Tomoki Iwata both of whom are 26.

And Rodgers, who also wants to reduce his bloated squad to 25 first team players, said: “I felt when I came in here in the summer, with the squad that was already in place from last season, that we probably needed four players. By that I meant four quality players to add to the squad.

“There were players that were earmarked to come here prior to me coming here. That’s absolutely fine, we have got young talents here that will develop and grow and that’s the model of the club.

“But to continue to improve and grow you need to also have players who are established because they help bring those players up. And I am very, very confident that we can do that over the coming windows.

“It doesn’t necessarily all have to be in January because the right players might not be available. If in January we can do that then I’m pretty sure the club will give us every