Chris Sutton on Celtic ‘baffling situation’ as he assesses January transfer needs

The Hoops hero has been left perplexed by one scenario that has played out this campaign

Chris Sutton admits Celtic still have “a lot of work to do” as he assessed their season so far.

The Hoops lead the Premiership as they seek three title wins in a row but Rangers do have two games in hand

which can aid them in closing the existing eight-point deficit. The fact that the champions lost their next two games against Kilmarnock and Hearts was partly to blame for the Light Blues’ comeback from a seemingly hopeless position.

In the early going of Brendan Rodgers’ second spell, they also drew with St Johnstone at home in the early part of the season. After those two losses, Celtic bounced back with four straight victories, including a victory over their rivals in the annual derby.

Of course, that has made a big difference in the atmosphere, but Sutton argues that doesn’t imply everything is back to normal.

“I think there are still question marks,” the hoops hero said to Sky Sports. None of us can deny that Europe was a huge disappointment. Comparing this club to Ange Postecoglou’s squad, where Celtic were quick and fierce, demonstrates the league’s instability. There have been moments of difficulty this season.

“Although Brendan Rodgers has discussed bringing in players of a higher caliber, he also discussed comprehending the model at the beginning of the season.

Thus, January is definitely something to be aware of. Will they pursue the more seasoned players who have already made the mistake and will cost an enormous amount of money? Celtic still has a great deal of work ahead of them.”

Going on to the areas of the pitch that his former team needed to examine in January, he pointed out one that still baffles him.

Sutton continued, saying, “Where do I believe they need to get stronger? Left-back position. And the situation at center-half is perplexing. What the devil has happened there, really?

“Scales has seized the chance. However, Celtic appears to have overpaid for Nawrocki and Lagerbielke, having spent between £7 and £7.5 million on them. That’s the real deal.

“I’m curious to see how the striking position works out. While wide players are frequently mentioned, Celtic already has a large number of wide players.”