There has been extensive trading of Celtic shares during the month of June.
While the lazy outside perception is that Dermot Desmond is the owner more and more fans are gaining an understanding of how the club functions at a corporate level.
Desmond is the biggest individual shareholder. He is a Non Executive Director, a role that he has had since 1995.
When you have a weak CEO like Peter Lawwell, and an even weaker one in Michael Nicholson it is easy to come to the conclusion that Desmond is the man calling the shots.
Last season Martin O’Neill was twice appointed Interim manager. Both after taking a phone call from Desmond.
After the Scottish Cup Final win over Dunfermline O’Neill mentioned arranging talks with the owner to discuss his future. Everyone knew who he was refereeing to. On June 11 he was confirmed as permanent manager.
The problems of the 25/26 season highlighted multiple issues at Celtic.
Chiefly the weakness of the Board and CEO, individuals badly detached from the world of football in the current age. Dependent on instructions from a distant golf course from an elderly man that attends half a dozen matches a season.
Someone who isn’t interested enough to attend the AGM. If bothered he’ll send his lad over to verbally attack the supporters that drive every revenue stream and inspire the team to results and success.
THE NEGLECT, COMPLACENCY AND APATHY INSIDE CELTIC
In October Celtic Supporters Limited were formed.
In February Willie Haughey announced his plans for the Celtic Season Ticket Holders Alliance, in May the group was formed.
Both groups recognise a weakness at Celtic.
It isn’t normal for a NED to dominate club policy. Desmond received Stock Market approval in 2005 to take his holding above without having to make a takeover offer.
Twenty years later some shareholders are questioning the level of influence.
CSL and the Alliance are both looking to gain a significant shareholding. Almost two thirds of Celtic shares are outside of Desmond’s ownership.
Through different means CSL and the Alliance are looking to gain a worthwhile stake in Celtic.
With a 5% stake you can call an EGM. Some much needed scrutiny can be applied. Something that the NEDs should do. Instead they are nodding dogs.
Between January and May Celtic shares bubbled around at just under £2 per share. On May 21, two days before the Scottish Cup Final the price reached £2.05. It rose steadily to peak at £2.60.
On June 4 and 5 there was some significant trades. Some big shareholdings were sold. Someone was buying.
No one knows who was involved. It could be absolutely anyone.
With the price rising three significant share trades occurred on June 4. The trades took place at 16.35, 16.35 and 16.48. A total of £1,108,328.40 was spent on Celtic share across three transactions over a 13 minutes period.
SHARE TRADING ON THE STOCK EXCHANGE
All trades can be checked on the London Stock Exchange website.
To clarify for everyone in this thread:
Matt, we didn’t say your tweet mentioned CSL. Our post was correcting the broader narrative — the Celtic365 article named both CSL and the Alliance together, and multiple replies across the thread conflated the two. We were setting the…
— Celtic Supporters Ltd (@celticCSL) June 30, 2026
June 5 also saw some significant transactions.
At 10.01 on June 5 a single sale of 49,000 shares at £2.49 per share took place.
Later on things got very busy. At 16.21 and 16.22 a total of 445,000 shares were traded, one batch for £2.48, another for £2.49. The two deals totalled £1,105,550.
Over the course of two days five trades took place involving £2,213.878.
A tweet from the CSL on Tuesday noted:
Celtic PLC shares trade on AIM with average daily volumes in the region of £10k. Attempting to deploy £2m into that market would immediately distort the share price and would fail, because the volume simply does not exist.
On successive days more than £1m was spent on Celtic shares. One hundred times the usual volume.
The share price remained up and around £2.50. It reached a peak of £2.60 on June 17. Buying has returned to normal levels. On July 1 the price had slipped back to £2.30
Clearly there is interest and movement in Celtic shares.
Who is involved in anyone’s guess.
After thirty years of complacency questions are being asked about the ownership of the club with two new groups and the Celtic Trust looking to track and claim the proxy votes for thousands of dormant shareholders.
SEASON 26/27 BRINGS UNCERTAINTY AND CONCERN
Inside the club apathy and complacency reigns.
The first competitive match of the season is one month away. Celtic have rarely been worse prepared for a new campaign.
Technically that falls on the CEO. The guy that shrugs his shoulders when asked at a formal meeting questions about transfers.
Fortunately, like in the early nineties there are interested, ‘activist’ groups stating the case for change.
In the Kelly and White days the lack of money did put the club in peril although administration would never have happened.
Now with the bank balance ranging between £70-100m the club is bereft of ideas and ambition.
Change could be on the way. Unfortunately things usually have to get worse before solutions are achieved.
The mobile screenshots of the trading.
June 4
June 5
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