John Hartson senses Celtic fan 'disgruntlement' as bulging club accounts mask one niggling gripe

John Hartson reckons Celtic fans may be slightly peeved that the club didn't go and splash the cash on a main man this summer.

Brendan Rodgers' side had two men sent off - new signings Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm - in a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Feyenoord on matchday one at the continent's top table. It came off the back of their return to the competition last season under Ange Postecoglou, and it played a part in a huge pre-tax profit margin of £40.7m for the year to June. The figure is more than £34m up on last year's equivalent, and revenue has shot up by almost £32m to £119.9m.

Former striker Hartson reckons Celtic spent their summer cash on plenty of project players, and wonders if they should have gone out their way to get someone who could help Kyogo carry some of the final third can. He tells Go Radio: "The one thing that would maybe disgruntle the supporters, in terms of Celtic and the way they are playing, lost their first game (in the Champions League), a marquee signing, a shirt seller if you like. I know they have brought in a lot of players, these type of players are very young, projects and ones for the future.

"If Celtic could have found one, if Brendan Rodgers had his eye on one particular person, very difficult as the market is so very inflated. With the money they have made, back in the Champions League, everything else and the profits they have, I just feel they could have gone out and bought somebody to play when Kyogo... like (Giorgos) Giakoumakis did.

"That type of role, that's the one thing I think supporters would have liked as well. When you see the money is there and if they got that one quality player, £7, £8, £9 million, strikers take you up the leagues, they are the ones