Chris Sutton says he’s been left ‘surprised’ by Celtic this summer

Follow us on Google Discover

The Hoops legend has commented on what has left him surprised by the Parkhead side in terms of player recruitment.

Celtic legend Chris Sutton has admitted that he is “surprised” at how some areas in the Hoops team have not yet been bolstered and how the Parkhead side has “left it so late”, as written in the Daily Record.

At the time of writing, the Bhoys are yet to secure the services of a recognised right-back following the departure of Mikael Lustig, while they remain light up front too.

Hatem Abd Elhamed is reportedly close to signing for the treble Treble winners, while Leicester City’s Danny Simpson is believed to be travelling north of the border for a trial.

However, Sutton believes that going into the upcoming Champions League qualifiers still without having bolstered their ranks is a “huge issue”.

“The difficulty for Celtic, as with all Scottish clubs, is that European football comes around so quickly and hits them all hard,” the 46-year-old wrote in the Daily Record. “And that’s why there are areas in the Celtic team where I’m surprised they’ve left it so late to recruit such as the right back position and up front.

“Mikael Lustig is gone a long time now and that is the real issue. Kris Ajer has done a good job filling in but you get found out when you go to a higher level… the fact they’re going into [the Champions League qualifying] games without a recognised right back is a huge issue.”

In addition, the 46-year-old is worried that, were Odsonne Edouard to pick up an injury, it would spell “disaster” for Neil Lennon’s side.

“I like Odsonne Edouard but it’s tough to imagine going into a Champions League play-off tie without him so they’re a hamstring injury to the Frenchman away from a disaster,” he continued. “Neil Lennon spoke after the game on Wednesday about Leigh Griffiths not being up to speed but you can’t afford to carry players in these qualifiers.”

Celtic host Estonian side Nomme Kalju at Parkhead on Wednesday night before travelling to Tallinn for the second leg next Tuesday, ahead of what could prove to be a challenging domestic campaign given how their Old Firm rivals have bolstered their own ranks in the summer.