Celtic are now back in pre-season training and excitement is building ahead of another busy campaign for the Bhoys on all fronts.
For now, getting players back into shape will be the main priority for Brendan Rodgers and company; however, with signings hopefully afoot in the coming weeks, there is a sense of anticipation among the support.
Securing incomings will be an important endeavour for Celtic to efficiently defend their Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup titles; meanwhile, the new Champions League format is going to require increased squad depth at Parkhead.
There is a clear need for improvement on the continent, and John Kennedy has signalled how the Hoops plan to turn good performances into results against some of the elite.
John Kennedy discusses Celtic’s European prospects
Explaining how Celtic plan to improve on the continent, Kennedy is excited about the type of impact the Bhoys can make in the Champions League this year, citing the need to face these challenges ‘head-on’ in the coming months.
He told Sky Sports: “First and foremost, it’s about this here beside us (Scottish Premiership trophy) and winning that. That is our bread and butter, and we want to do well domestically, but there’s always a challenge of the European stuff.
“We’ve probably went too long a period where we’ve not really impacted Europe the way we want. We see glimpses even last year and the year before that performance-wise, we know we’re capable of going in and competing with these teams and putting in good performances, but it’s about turning the screw on that and starting to get results.
“The different format will give us extra games this year; it’ll be more challenges, but it’s exciting, and we want to face that head-on, and hopefully, we can make some form of impact in that.”
Celtic know there is improvement to be found on the European front this campaign, but with eight games pencilled in courtesy of the new format, there will be more opportunities to claim points across the ‘league phase’ of the Champions League.
In turn, there is also added visibility for prospective new recruits. The Bhoys can provide an effective launchpad in front of 60,000 supporters on the elite stage, which is bound to be an appealing factor for those searching for a fulfilling career challenge.
It is an exciting time to be a Celtic fan. With the transfer window open and players back in pre-season, it shouldn’t be too long before things start to ignite.