The inside track on Paul Tisdale and Brendan Rodgers relationship with Celtic transfer plans 'well underway'

Brendan Rodgers is massively driven. Just not solely by data.

The Celtic boss is delighted to have Paul Tisdale fully on board with recruitment plans for January and beyond firmly on the go. Celtic’s new Head of Football Operations is widely-recognised as an expert in his field of analysis. Tisdale's previous life as a manager in his own right also works for Rodgers. But, when it comes to picking and signing players, it won’t just be about numbers for the two men as they select potential recruits.

Ahead of the showdown with Aberdeen, Rodgers expanded on the future workings as he said: “It just depends on what your take on it is. For me, it’s very much that I’m informed by data, but I wouldn’t be driven by it. We can get lots of information, lots of data on certain things now. Paul has said it was purely more on the actual performance of a player that would fit into our model and whether that player fits closely.

“He can bring the football analytical stuff to that, as well as overseeing that recruitment process. It’s definitely a big part of football now, but it’s how you use it which is important.

“I spent a good period of time with him here over the course of the summer, had long meetings. When you bring in someone in that role and that remit, there is a specificness to it in terms of recruitment and analytics and whatnot.

“But it has to be compatible with my personality, with the philosophy of the club and how we want to work in the team. It fitted really well over the course of the summer, so I was very keen for us to progress that. We know where we’re at, in terms of what it is we want to do.

“We’ve done a lot of great work in the summer in improving the squad and the preparation is well underway to see what we can