Shaun Maloney has admitted Celtic still need to strengthen in several areas and would ideally have had more of their transfer business completed by this stage of the summer.
The Celtic coach believes the striker position is now in a strong place, but made clear that the same level of competition is still needed elsewhere.
He said: (CelticPlayer), “Yeah, look, I think with the two guys that we brought in, in the striker position, I think that’s really strong. So I’m really happy with those two players.
“I think then we need that strength and depth in certain other positions. So I think that’s vital that we get that done. And I’d be really hopeful that that gets done.”
Maloney pointed to the options Celtic now have through the middle as the type of competition he would like to see across the rest of the squad.
He added: “I think how we feel about that nine, you’ve got obviously Kasper, Camilo’s now came in, you’ve got Osmand, Johnny Kenny, that’s a really strong nine position and everyone fighting.
“I think we want that in every position. And there’s a few that we’re a little light on and yeah, I know the club are working hard to do them and we definitely need that done.”
Maloney was then asked whether he would have hoped Celtic had completed more of their transfer work by now.
He did not shy away from the question.
He said: “I think yeah, I think that’s fair, but I think probably everyone in the club would say that.
“I think how we feel about that nine position, I think we would love to feel like that in every position, but I’m also realistic that it doesn’t work like that in the transfer window. Some things take longer than others.”
With Celtic already well into their preparations and Champions League qualifiers approaching, Maloney admitted coaches would always prefer new arrivals to be in the building as early as possible.
He added: “But yeah, I think as a coach or as a manager, I think you always want these players as quickly as possible.
“We’ve done probably over 40 sessions now in pre-season, so you’d love them on the very first day, but you’re also realistic.
“So in an ideal world, yes, but I think we also have to work with the squad that we have.”
He said: “I think we’ve got really good players and then when the new ones come in, you try and integrate them as quickly as possible.”
It was a straightforward assessment of Celtic’s position: the squad still has quality, but Maloney believes more depth is needed and accepts that the club would have preferred to be further along with their recruitment by now.
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