Brendan Rodgers has been open about the fact he is looking to strengthen his side in the wake of the shock Scottish Cup final loss to Aberdeen — with one former Celtic manager convinced he has to address the loss of centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi back in January and get round to signing a permanent replacement.

Rodgers admitted earlier in the season that the emergence of converted wide man Daizen Maeda into a first-choice option through the middle had him thinking that signing a winger in summer might be more of a priority.

The cruciate ligament injury picked up by Jota in the title-clinching win over Dundee United at Tannadice at the start of the month increased the need to find new talent in that area, but former Hoops manager Neil Lennon believes Rodgers’ key focus will really be on finding a new No 9.

However, he has yet to commit to a new contract and £8.5m man Adam Idah, signed last summer from Norwich City, has not shown enough to suggest he can be the main man up front.

Lennon believes a new striker is vital and actually expects Rodgers to put in work on strengthening the entire spine of his team in general.

‘I think he will freshen things up,’ said Lennon. ‘They lost Kyogo in January and obviously didn’t spend on a striker, but I think that will be foremost in Brendan’s mind.

‘I think, right through the team, the centre of the team, he will look to improve that area. They may come back stronger than ever next year, which is a frightening prospect for everybody else.’

Lennon, however, believes criticism of Celtic’s lacklustre display in the penalty shoot-out loss to Aberdeen at Hampden has to be tempered.

‘It is really difficult to be critical of Celtic after everything they have achieved over the past few years — in particular, the manager. His record here is perfect,’ he said.

‘They are human beings. It wasn’t their day. They didn’t play well enough in the final third, which is not like them. It is really hard to stand here and be critical of what they have done.

‘They just looked a bit fatigued. They have gone to the well so many times and maybe this was just one game too many.’

News from Croatia helps lift the Hampden gloom 

On a disappointing weekend for Celtic, there was one sliver of consolation. The day after their Scottish Cup final defeat by Aberdeen, a match in Croatia contrived to give their European hopes a welcome boost.

By pipping Dinamo Zagreb to the Croatian title with a final-day victory against Slaven Belupo, HNK Rijeka ensured that Celtic will be seeded in the draw for next season’s Champions League playoff round.

Dinamo had a better co-efficient than Celtic, and would have been seeded in the playoff round had they got there, but it wasn’t to be for Croatia’s most successful club. Level with Rijeka on points and goal difference, they lost the title by dint of an inferior head-to-head record.

All of which opened the door for Celtic to take their place among the seeds in the champions path, giving them a significant advantage when the draw is made on August 4. They will avoid fellow seeds Bodo/Glimt, as well as FC Copenhagen, Ferencvaros and Red Star Belgrade if those clubs make it through the earlier rounds.

Basel, Sturm Graz, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Slovan Bratislava and Qarabag are among the potential opponents for Celtic in the playoff. Victory over two legs, the first of which will be on August 19/20, would secure a place in the league phase of Europe’s most prestigious competition.

Defeat would mean a drop into the Europa League and a huge setback for Brendan Rodgers, whose return to Celtic two years ago was motivated by a desire to take them further in Europe.

In February, they came within touching distance of the Champions League last 16, only to be eliminated by Bayern Munich’s stoppage-time equaliser. If they are to scale the same mountain next season, a helpful draw in the playoff round would be a good place to start.

Maeda belongs among the elite, says Hatate

Reo Hatate has paid one final compliment to team-mate and countryman Daizen Maeda at the end of a season which brought several Player of the Year awards — by insisting he brings things to the Celtic team that even true world-class forwards cannot deliver.

Maeda finished the campaign with 34 goals in total for club and country and shifted inside from left wing to centre-forward following the departure of Kyogo Furuhashi to French side Rennes in January.

Midfielder Hatate watched his fellow Japanese international move his game to a new level over the course of the past nine months and believes he is showing the kind of attributes that not even some of the global game’s best-known stars can bring to the table.

‘His goalscoring ability is highly rated and that is something everyone sees, but what really impressed me this season is how he fights for the team over the full 90 minutes,’ Hatate told Celtic TV.

‘On top of that, he is getting results and that is not something just anyone can do.

‘He has abilities that, even on a world level, not many players have and he shows that in every game. That is truly impressive.

‘It has definitely been a big asset for the team. Since I came here. I have always seen that, but this year in particular. I strongly feel that his level of contribution to the team is truly immeasurable.’

Whether Hatate and Maeda will be at Celtic Park next term, though, remains a matter of concern for followers of the Scottish champions.

Hatate is attracting interest from Italy with rumours growing that he fancies a shot at something new for next season. Maeda, meanwhile, has so far failed to agree a new contract at Parkhead despite initial talks over extending his current deal, which runs until the summer of 2027.

Rodgers loves to connect with Old Bhoys network

Brendan Rodgers has revealed that he still likes to take soundings from — and accept the support of — former Celtic managers such as Martin O’Neill and Gordon Strachan as he handles the never-ending pressures of life as the figurehead of the Parkhead club.

The Northern Irishman is now about to enter the third year of his second spell at the head of the Scottish champions and is well-versed in what it takes to lead from the front at a national institution.

However, speaking in the official match programme for the Scottish Cup final, he detailed how much he appreciates the opportunities he receives to sit down and talk with the likes of O’Neill and Strachan and share perspectives on what is a hugely exacting job.

‘I don’t purposely do it, but, if I am in the company of a Celtic manager like Martin or Gordon, or whoever it may be, then, of course, we share a bond and a connection that not many people have,’ he said.

‘We all understand the feelings and the pressures and expectations that come with managing a club like Celtic.

‘We all have that sort of deep understanding and feeling and are obviously always very supportive.’

Doohan has changed his tune on game time

What a difference three short years can make in the perspective of a professional footballer.

Back in the summer of 2022, goalkeeper Ross Doohan walked away from Celtic to sign a deal with Tranmere Rovers having previously been farmed out on loan no less than seven times by the Parkhead club.

Having held detailed talks with then-manager Ange Postecoglou, he made it clear that he felt he had to walk away on account of not having any real chance of first-team football.

However, he is close to agreeing a surprising return to Celtic from Aberdeen to take up the role of third-choice keeper behind Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo and serve as a homegrown player in the club’s European squads.

According to UEFA rules, Celtic must name eight homegrown players in their squad, with four of them expected to have come through the club’s academy system. Doohan was on the club’s books between 2015 and 2022.

However, with manager Brendan Rodgers having confirmed that Sinisalo was brought into the club last summer with a view to becoming the long-term No 1, it is difficult to see where chances of regular football are going to come from for Doohan, considering that is the reason he left three years ago.

Scott Bain, leaving the club this summer, has filled the role of third-pick keeper in recent times and did not play at all during season 2024-25.

Bain also made just three appearances in 2023-24, one in 2022-23 and four in 2021-22.

Back when 27-year-old Doohan left, he was clear that seeing little chance of breaking into the team was a key factor in his decision to go.

‘I’m at an age now when I can’t be going out on loan every season then returning to Celtic with my future unknown,’ he said. ‘I returned for pre-season but, deep down, I knew I wasn’t going to get a chance.

‘That’s the reality of playing for a massive club like Celtic. They’re able to bring in two top keepers in Benji Siegrist and Joe Hart. For someone like myself trying to break through, it’s very difficult. At least I don’t need to worry about that anymore.’

Good luck to Doohan, but, from the outside, the chances of getting into the first-team now look almost as slim as they did then.

Belgian springboard can propel Welsh to great heights 

Celtic defender Stephen Welsh will return to the club with a spring in his step after a successful loan spell at Mechelen.

The 25-year-old centre-half signed a temporary deal with the Belgian club in January, having made only two appearances for Celtic in the first half of the season.

After taking time to settle, he established himself in his new team, starting 15 games, coming on twice as a substitute and signing off with a flourish at the weekend.

In what was the final game of the season, Welsh scored a header in Mechelen’s 2-2 draw with Dender. It was a neat way to round off what had been a useful experience for the Celtic academy graduate.

He says it has made him a better player — technically, tactically and physically. Playing abroad has also been helpful on a personal level, given that his only previous experience away from Celtic was a loan spell at Greenock Morton.

Whether it will be enough to persuade Brendan Rodgers that he has a future at Celtic Park is another matter. Welsh has Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Auston Trusty, Maik Nawrocki and Dane Murray for competition at the back.

Scales has shown that regular game time at Celtic need not be the preserve of big-money signings. Trusty has struggled to hold down a place and Rodgers has been reluctant to show faith in Nawrocki.

But Welsh has been at Celtic all his life and there comes a time when a player needs to find his level. Despite having two years of his contract still to run, this could be that moment.

The feeling earlier this season was that a loan could be the precursor to a permanent move. Now that he has held his own in another league, it will be a surprise if Welsh is not a transfer target this summer, maybe even for Mechelen.

Four years ago, former Celtic team-mate Jack Hendry made a permanent move to Belgian side Oostende after a loan spell there and it turned out to be the making of him. That may be in Welsh’s thoughts as he weighs up his next step.