Brendan Rodgers admits Celtic squad isn't strong enough as he sends clear summer transfer message to board

Brendan Rodgers insists Celtic can't afford to repeat this season's transfer mistakes as he admitted: 'The squad isn't strong enough.'

The Hoops splurged over £20mililon on ten new signings last summer but Rodgers has had to rely largely on the same group he inherited from Ange Postecoglou - minus Jota, Carl Starfelt and Aaron Mooy who all departed at the end of the Treble-winning season.

Big-money signings like Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki have barely featured for the champions yet despite blowing a seven-point lead over Rangers, Rodgers has managed to dig Celts out of a hole by all but securing three-in-a-row and a guaranteed Champions League windfall which will only strengthen the Parkhead club's financial muscle over their rivals across the city.

With more than £72million currently in the bank, Rodgers expects a significant chunk of that to be spent on top-class signings this summer as he once again reiterated the need for "quality" over quantity.

Speaking at Lennoxtown today, Rodgers said: "We have to, that's pretty clear. But I'm really excited about that moving forward into a bright future with the club. This season has been a real challenge. The squad openly not as strong as I would have liked it to have been but what the players have given me until this point has been absolutely brilliant. Our job moving forward next year is to be much stronger. But that's something that's well underway."

Celtic's recruitment team will have their work cut out finding a replacement for the influential Joe Hart, who is set to hang up his gloves next week after a remarkable 20-year career. Given it's such a crucial part of the team, Rodgers wants priority areas - like the goalkeeping department - bolstered as early as possible.

He said: "Yeah, I think every coach and manager would want to do that. There's definitely certainly positions we would want to have finalised sooner rather than later for sure. Ideally, if we can do that, it'd be great. But what's really important for us this summer is getting the level of quality that I want into the squad. That will be absolutely key for the growth of this team. The guys have been absolutely fantastic but next season we need more depth in the squad.

"I go back a little bit to my past here... I was making eight changes going away to Ross County and I was bringing into that team, Stuart Armstrong, Ryan Christie... these guys have shown that they are Premier League quality. I remember taking a team to our training camp in Dubai. This was a proper game and the second team beat the starters 5-0 and that gave me great food for thought when I came back for the second part of the season.

"That told me then the depth that is required and I think that's something that's definitely required here. We lost a bit of that in the summer but there's no doubt we will need to restructure that going forward. We have some fantastic players here and we want to add to that."

Chief executive Michael Nicholson and chairman Peter Lawwell have come in for some stinging criticism from the green-and-white faithful this season, especially in the wake of an underwhelming January window. Lawwell later confessed Celts didn't do enough business in the winter and while Rodgers certainly shared those views at the time, the Northern Irishman insists the Parkhead board are on the same page as him.

He said: "Yeah, 100 per cent. Every season has to be a learning season on and off the pitch. I've gained nothing but support from Michael and the people here. But going forward with the football strategy, we need to ensure that it's very much there in terms of what we want to bring in. It's not about numbers, it's about increasing the quality of the squad. But that's for later on. We still have a massive job to do over the next three games."

Celtic's coffers could be boosted even more should Player of the Year Matt O'Riley move on this summer. The Denmark international, 23, was the subject of a failed bid from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in January, while Italian champions Inter Milan are long-term admirers.

Rodgers insists Celtic don't have to sell their prized asset this summer and says he isn't losing sleep over potential bids. He added: "No, no at all. We don't have to sell. We're not in a position to do that. But of course, if something comes in like happens at Celtic, it will always be looked at.

"But there's not a need to sell him. Matt's had a brilliant season for us and it's a great testament to his professionalism and how he's developed as a football player. Naturally, those players will attract attention. If you've done well at a club of this status, then naturally the attention will come. But it's not something I lose sleep about."