“They’re going to have to go and invest in really top, top players,” Paul Lambert

The Celtic Star

·19 February 2025

“They’re going to have to go and invest in really top, top players,” Paul Lambert

Paul Lambert has added to the calls for the Celtic Board to back Brendan Rodgers this summer after his team’s Munich heroics…

IMAGO/Sven Simon. Paul Lambert (vorn) und Stefan Reuter (beide BVB) laufen mit dem Pokal eine Ehrenrunde nach dem Champions League Sieg 1996/1997

The man who was signed from Bayern Munich’s rivals Borussia Dortmund, back in 1998, revealed the belief that whilst Celtic cannot go and spend ludicrous sums on new players, they will still have to spend money.

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Failure to build from a position of strength

One of the main frustrations aimed at the club continually, is the failure to build from a position of strength, and it has been a symptom of the club’s stewardship for years now. Selling top players and not replacing them, or selling and not ensuring we have the adequate replacements lined up and ready to go in time, much like we witnessed this January transfer window again.

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

It’s an infuriating policy the powerbrokers have adopted and it only holds the manager and thr footballing operation back in development. Brendan Rodgers has shown what he can do against the very best, now Lambert reckons they can’t stand still. Speaking to talkSPORT, the former Celtic captain said: “Not a chance! Listen the downfall for Celtic is that the league in Scotland isn’t the most powerful, as everybody knows. They can only beat what’s in front of them.

‘They fight brilliantly within their means’

“The club do great with the finances. They’ve got really clever guys there so they’ve got to live within their means. They can’t go and buy somebody for £50million. It’s impossible. They don’t want to be going bankrupt or into liquidation and things like that. They have to look after themselves, which they do and they fight brilliantly within their means.”

Paul Lambert Photo: Graham Hunt

The ex-Aston Villa boss believes that other clubs around about Celtic will all be striving to improve and will earmark recruitment as the appropriate steps to achieving this, so the club simply cannot rest on their laurels.

‘Celtic are going to have to go up another level’

He said: “If the guys don’t learn from that and want more of it, then there’s something wrong. There’s that jumping on the bandwagon thing when you say ‘we’re ready for the next stage in Europe,’ but so is every other team. Every other team is going to go and buy and every other team is going to get stronger, so Celtic are going to have to go up another level.

Celtic players pose for a photo on pitch prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

“So they’re going to have to go and invest in really top, top players to get you by that, because every other team in Europe will be doing the same. But what it’s done for them is shown everybody that they can definitely compete. Especially at home, their record has been really good. it’s just getting that little bit of consistency. The club is geared for Champions League football with the size of it.”

Paul Gillespie

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“They’re going to have to go and invest in really top, top players,” Paul Lambert | OneFootball