Brendan Rodgers has stated that he is unwilling to compromise his patience in the transfer market, despite the fact that he could have added up to nine new players to his Celtic squad by this point if he had chosen to do so.

The Parkhead boss is actively seeking new signings as he looks to strengthen his team and build on the domestic double secured last time out.

However, Rodgers remains adamant that he will not be rushed in his pursuit of the right players to fit his vision for the club.

The Hoops manager is determined to take his time and ensure that any new additions to the squad are the perfect fit and help the team achieve its objectives for the season rather than making hasty decisions that could potentially backfire.

Rodgers also asserted - in the aftermath of Friday night’s 1-1 friendly draw against Ayr United - that he focused on finding the right individuals to complement his existing players.

“Yes, absolutely," the Celtic boss said when probed whether it was worthwhile being patient during the summer transfer window.

"We could have had nine players in by now if we wanted, but it’s all about the right players that we want.

“There’s no point in us doing anything other than that and sometimes that takes a little bit of patience. In the world nowadays, where everything’s immediate, everyone thinks you can do it straight away, but it’s not always the case.

“There’s always a collaboration between ourselves and another club to get the players that we want, but I’m very hopeful that come the end of the window, we’ll have a really strong squad and be ready and prepared for an exciting season.

“There’s lots of time. Of course, we would want to get them in sooner rather than later. But it’s always a two-way thing.”

Read more: 

Celtic jet off to the United States for more pre-season matches against DC United, Chelsea and Manchester City later this month, and Rodgers confessed that he is hopeful to have some new additions in the door by then. 

“That’s the plan,” he replied. “I think every manager would like them in on the first day, but what’s most important is the players we want are targeted. We know what we want to bring in to improve the squad and I’m sure over the coming weeks we’ll conclude the deals.”

One player who’s hot on Celtic fans lips is Adam Idah. The striker spent the second half of last season on-loan at Parkhead - but Rodgers wasn’t giving much away when questioned on the possibility of signing the Republic of Ireland internationalist permanently. 

“Adam’s a Norwich player, so I’m not in the mood to be talking about other players at other clubs, he made clear.

“But he’s a player that came in here, did exceptionally well, and we’ll see what happens.”

Joe Hart’s replacement is also high on the agenda with the veteran stopper hanging up his gloves last month and leaving Celtic without a quality number one.

Rodgers knows the importance of bolstering his goalkeeping department and hopes to have a high calibre shot-stopper in the door by the time the Scottish Premiership campaign begins.

 “It’s certainly one of the areas that we needed to improve and we’ve known that since Joe said that he was leaving,” the Northern Irishman declared.

“So, yes, that again, a bit of time, but we aim to have that, hopefully, done by the beginning of the season, for sure. There are loads of names flying about. So, just a good one would be nice.”