Following the end of the September international break, all attentions are now back on the return of proper football as Celtic and manager Brendan Rodgers gear up for our trip on Sunday to Kilmarnock for our next domestic Scottish Premiership clash.
Celtic have had a mixed start to the year and although we are currently sitting joint top of the table having gained ten points with three wins and a draw from our opening four matches, Champions League hopes for a second successive year have been dashed as we failed to find the net in the Play Off double header against Kairat and then got dumped into the Europa League following defeat on penalties. For fans who like a flutter, that was not a result they were predicting and even for those who enjoy online gaming and search out new UK casino sites for their enjoyment, you would not have expected a curveball like that from even the toughest games out there.
It has again been a typical summer transfer window at Parkhead with more reports that 52 year old Rodgers has been left disappointed with the business that we finally managed to do, and those stories take on a different precedence given he himself will be out of contract at the end of the season and despite his success at Celtic Park, it appears a new contract extension is no nearer being signed. This is also comes amidst ongoing fan protests against the board that will continue this weekend at the BBSP Rugby Park as the travelling faithful again plan a late entry protest and fans are also awaiting any potential fall out from Daizen Maeda’s almost bombshell reveal during the international window that he had been hoping to secure himself a transfer and move on from the Scottish game.
The 27 year old, 23 capped Japanese international, is a clear fan favourite at the Hoops, although the PFA Scotland and SFWA Player of the Year does have over 12 months remaining on his existing deal. It was believed that talks had been planned for a contract extension though, so news that he was looking to move on was greeted by many with dismay. With the player having now returned from international duty, it is being reported that Rodgers wants to quickly meet up with him to see where his head is following on from the club denying him a move late on in the window, after he had already agreed new terms with an unnamed side.
The player himself said all the right things in his own interview about being committed and understanding that any move was depending on Celtic securing a replacement first (which was something we obviously failed to do) but he has already been a shadow of his former self so far this year and his early performances in the 2025/26 campaign do not inspire optimism that he will repeat his 33 goal haul from last season, and we need him firing on all cylinders and our gaffer is well aware of that fact and plenty in the wider world of football believe that whoever had ultimately courted him have turned his head.
We will simply have to see what those talks result in, and then how he takes to the pitch on Sunday as we go in search of another three points to try and open up some kind of small buffer zone to second spot in the table.
