Celtic must build on title win - four non-negotiables including transfers, Europe and fan unity

For all the fanfare it has not been a harmonious season for Celtic

Celtic are champions again – but it was far from plain sailing for Brendan Rodgers in his first season back at the club.

His return last summer was met with a sceptical reaction from a fanbase still wounded by the manner of his departure to Leicester City in 2019 midway through a treble-treble winning season and before 10-in-a-row had been accomplished. It made for an "awkward" start, the Northern Irishman admitted, as he reflected on "tedious stuff" behind the scenes that made the 2023-24 campaign such a challenging, but ultimately, rewarding one for him and for Celtic.

There were times when the club looked set to implode – particularly after a 2-0 home defeat to Hearts in December which sparked protests in the stands and saw Santa booed during a half-time appearance. Supporter unrest was evident throughout much of the campaign, only truly disapating over the latter stages when an upturn in Celtic form combined with a Rangers collapse delivered a third successive title. Rodgers deserves huge credit for steering Celtic through the adversity towards glory but will not want a repeat of the ill-feeling that carried through much of the season when next term gets underway.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers celebrates winning the Premiership title after the 5-0 win at Kilmarnock. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

It is safe to say there is still plenty work required to keep the club on the right trajectory. Here are four non-negotiables that the club must address to carry the positive vibes into the 2024-25 campaign and beyond.

Find a suitable Joe Hart replacement

Goalkeeper is such a crucial position for any team with aspirations of winning trophies. Celtic only need to look back to the collapse of their 10-in-a-row bid when the failure to adequately replace Fraser Forster cost them dearly. Hart, while perhaps not as pivotal as Jack Butland is to Rangers, has been a safe and dependable Celtic number one. With the former England international retiring after next week's Scottish Cup final, Celtic cannot afford to make another expensive mistake as they did when splashing around £4.5million to sign Vasilis Barkas from AEK Athens in 2020. Hart will leave big gloves to fill, and someone with similar characteristics, but slightly younger and better with the ball at his feet, will be required to take Celtic to the next level. If Celtic need to spend big to find a suitable candidate, then so be it.

Reinvest in the first-team

Celtic must find a suitable replacement for retiring goalkeeper Joe Hart this summer. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The big transfer story of the summer is likely to surround the future of Matt O'Riley after an outstanding season. A £20m bid from Atletico Madrid was turned down in January and with clubs of similar stature now eyeing up a summer move, Celtic will be holding out for a record fee for the 23-year-old, eclipsing the £25m received for Jota and Kieran Tierney, which would ensure a remarkable return on the £1.5m spent signing him from MK Dons in 2022. Combined with a minimum estimated earnings in the region of £30m for competing in the revamped Champions League group stages, that could see the Hoops already healthy balance sheet boosted to the tune of around £55-60m. Failure to invest a significant chunk of this back into the first team would only stir up further anomisity among the supporters who already view the Celtic board as penny pinchers, and who were aghast at the club's performance in recent transfer windows. Key positions to strengthen include goalkeeper, centre-back, left-back and striker, as well as a replacement for O'Riley should he depart as expected. Re-signing Adam Idah from Norwich would also be seen as a positive move given his contribution since joining on loan in January.

Improve in Europe

Celtic's strength domestically has been in stark contrast to their performances in Europe in recent seasons. They set a new unwanted Champions League record last season as the first team from the UK to go 15 consecutive games without a win in the competition before finally snapping the streak with a 3-2 victory over Feyenoord in the dead rubber final group match. Getting that monkey off the back will allow the Hoops to go into next season's campaign with a clean slate as they look to give a better account of themselves in the revamped Swiss model which will see them play eight matches in a single 36-team league. The aim will be to secure a top 24 finish which would give them a play-off at worst and a chance to stay in Europe beyond Christmas. Next season will mark 12 years since Celtic last went beyond the last 32 of any European competition. Rangers reaching the Europa League final two years ago shows what can be achieved and Celtic are consistently falling short. The onus will be on Celtic and Rodgers to bring in the required standard of players and devise a system that allows them to better compete in Europe.

Restore unity among support

Celtic fans gather outside Parkhead to celebrate winning the title - but the relationship between club and supporters has been strained at times this season. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

For all the fanfare that followed the title win, this season has not been one a harmonious one for Celtic. The appointment of Rodgers split opinion although delivering the league title has won the doubters over. There remains, however, a disconnect between chairman Peter Lawwell, the board of directors and the fans over the perception of the way the club is being run. The departure of Mark Lawwell as head of recruitment has gone some way towards addressing concerns. Having a good transfer window this time around and properly investing in the squad with players who can immediately improve the first team will go a long way towards repairing relationships. There was also the spat between the Green Brigade and the club which saw the prominent Celtic fan group banned from home and away matches for a period of several weeks. The displays of Palestine flags which saw the club become embroiled in the politics of the Israel-Hamas war, and led to the departure of Liel Abada, created further tension. If Celtic are to become unified then there needs to be a willingness on both sides to reach a compromise on these issues.