Are Celtic fans right to worry about squad depth?

Pre-season friendlies are never the best barometer of where teams stand before the real tests start, but they can provide indicators of the true state of play.

All seemed rosy when Celtic beat Newcastle United 4-0 last weekend, but a 5-1 reverse against Ajax on Thursday has prompted some concern among the club's fanbase.

"We lack serious depth" wrote one fan to BBC Scotland.

"No ambition spells failure," said another.

Brendan Rodgers' side begin the defence of their Scottish Premiership title against St Mirren in just nine days and the Northern Irishman has made no secret that he wants reinforcements to his squad.

So, why exactly are fans anxious and should they be?

'It's clear where our gaps are'

Shin Yamada is one of two forwards signed by Celtic this summer

Celtic have brought left-back Kieran Tierney back to the club after his Arsenal contract expired, while recently capped Scotland goalkeeper Ross Doohan and forward Callum Osmand have also signed on free deals.

Hayato Inamura and Shin Yamada have arrived from the J-League, with Benjamin Nygren making it six incomings overall.

However, even before the heavy loss against Ajax, Rodgers stressed the need for further transfers, particularly in forward areas.

"I think we still have some work to do," he said. "I think the players that we have in the building have been very, very good in pre-season so far but, like I say, we have still work to do in the market.

"I think it's very clear where our gaps are - in our frontline, where we need support and I'm very confident that we'll be able to do that before the market finishes."

Kyogo Furuhashi's goals were never truly replaced when he left for Rennes in January and with Nicolas Kuhn departing to Serie A side Como, further goals and assists have been taken out of Rodgers' forward line.

Kyogo scored 85 goals in 165 Celtic appearances, while Kuhn contributed 21 goals and 15 assists last season alone.

Portuguese winger Jota is out with a long-term injury and there are doubts over whether Adam Idah has the attributes to lead the line in high-stakes matches.

Rodgers has consistently said over the past 18 months or so he doesn't want squad fillers, he wants players that raise the ceiling of his squad.

The Celtic boss insists he is "very confident" of quality coming through the door, but it remains to be seen who those players will be.

Similarities to Rodgers' first stint?

During his first spell as manager, Rodgers became increasingly frustrated with elements of the club's transfer business.

When winger Maryan Shved arrived in January 2019, Rodgers said he did not "know a great deal" about him while expressing frustration over the number of wingers being brought to the club.

"We've got about a million wingers, we don't need another," he said, before Shved was loaned back to Karpaty Lviv.

The Ukraine international would only make one league appearance for Celtic.

Rodgers has made no such grumbles this summer, but did say Inamura was not part of his first-team plans when the Japanese defender first arrived.

"No, he won't be," Rodgers said, when asked if Inamura would be ready to go straight into the Celtic starting XI.

"He's a part of the investment of the club."

Inamura has impressed in the glimpses he has shown during friendlies and should provide competition for Tierney on the left side of defence.

Even so, if Rodgers doesn't get the quality he seeks up front for the domestic and European challenges that await, the manager's happiness is another factor to keep an eye on.

Your views

Liam: The same fans that got overly excited about us beating Newcastle will now be unhappy about this defeat. They're friendly matches and it's about fitness, but also these games told us very little that we don't know. Adam Idah is a disappointment and unless we do something about it we'll fall short in several games this season. At the back we know the issues.

Anthony: Often too much emphasis is put on pre-season results. It's clear the first team is working well and playing some good football but we lack serious depth and there are still questions to be asked up top and at centre-back. These next two weeks to start the league and transfer market will be huge in determining our season.

Lewis: The quicker Celtic get back to playing domestic football the better as they have shown cheap buys just can't do it. Let's not be fooled, this is Scottish football and it's bleak.

Kevin: No concerns on the domestic front. The European stage is a different story. We need a reliable striker and we simply don't have one any more, the board's tight-fisted approach will, as usual, come back to bite them. No ambition spells failure!

Joe: This squad overall is fragile and I'm really concerned now about the lack of quality signings where we need to strengthen. 'Project' signings are not what we need right now, for the domestic challenge or Champions League qualification. Remember, we're not there yet.

What are your thoughts about the current state of Celtic's squad? Which areas would you like to see strengthened? Send us your thoughts.