Chris Sutton is surprised that Celtic didn’t sign a defender

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Chris Sutton says Celtic have taken a big risk by not signing a defender before transfer deadline.

Former Celtic player and now turned football pundit, Chris Sutton, believes that the Bhoys have done extremely well in bolstering their attacking department.

However, he is surprised with Brendan Rodgers’s decision to not sign a top defender before the transfer deadline.

He says that the Scottish champions have taken a big risk by not signing a top defender.

Central defence is a position that Rodgers wanted to strengthen, and that is why he wanted to sign Rivaldo Coetzee.

Sutton says that he expected Celtic to sign a defender when the deal broke down due to medical reasons, and it “puzzles” him that Rodgers didn’t bolster that area.

The football pundit says that Rodgers is banking on the defensive duo of Jozo Simunovic and Dedryck Boyata, and he probably feels that they can do the job at the highest level.

Sutton is worried about Boyata’s injury issues, and that the Belgian will have to hit the ground running straightaway in the Champions League after recovering from injury.

He adds that Kristoffer Ajer is a promising young player but he is not ready yet, while Rodgers probably doesn’t fancy Erik Sviatchenko.

Sutton says that injury to either Simunovic or Boyata could land Celtic in big trouble.

“I have to say, I am utterly miffed at the failure to sign a centre-back in the final week of the window. Celtic, to my mind, have taken a big, big risk with this,” wrote Sutton in his column for The Daily Record.

“When the deal for the South African broke down on medical grounds, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume that Celtic were going to go and get someone else in as cover. The fact they didn’t, or couldn’t, puzzles me.

“Boyata has not had a good record with injuries and it is going to be very tough for him to come straight out of the treatment room and play in the Champions League group stage.

“Rodgers has made all the right moves since he joined Celtic and this is another bold one. Personally, I’m not sure it’s the right way to go because one injury to Simunovic or Boyata could leave them in trouble.”