CHRIS Davies, the Celtic assistant, last night stated the players who are on the brink of going the entire domestic season undefeated and landing the treble will form the nucleus of the side which attempts to qualify for the Champions League next term.
Davies has been helping manager Brendan Rodgers to identify players who can help the Scottish champions make a bigger impact in European competition in the 2016/17 campaign in recent months.
But the former Welsh youth internationalist has stressed the team which will complete a clean sweep of domestic trophies if they defeat Aberdeen in the William Hill Scottish Cup final at Hampden on Saturday week won’t be radically overhauled in the summer.
Read more: Chris Davies: Celtic now better placed to clinch money-spinning Champions League spot
“We’re obviously looking at ways in which we can improve our squad,” he said. “That’s the key. Can we improve what we’ve got?
“But we don’t want to make loads of signings. It’s knowing that there are one or two quality signings who can be brought in that can help us, develop us and improve us as a team and a squad.
“But we also recognise the players who have been here have developed into even better players and are vital to us as well. We want to keep them and keep that continuity. As all teams will say, year on year we want to improve, but we want to develop players as well.
“You’ve got to look after your own and develop players you’ve got at the club and with good recruitment can you bring in others.”
Read more: Chris Davies: Celtic now better placed to clinch money-spinning Champions League spot
Celtic will play their first Champions League qualifier on either July 11 or 12 and Davies admitted signing their targets early so they can take part in a full pre-season programme before the first leg of the second qualifying rounds kicks off.
“That’s the ideal,” he said. “Obviously, with the way it works we are back in training on June 19 and the first Champions League qualifying games are early July.
“We’d like to get people in and the squad together as quick as we can to get them all working together. We have got players we are aware of. It is quality players that can improve us and the focus of that is keeping our best players and keeping that continuity.”
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