Three days before the start of the 26/27 season the extent of Celtic’s transfer failings can be laid bare.
Last season’s squad minus three with two additions.
Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh are very welcome. Steps in the right direction but don’t cover up for a close season of complacency and neglect.
Crocked Kasper Schmeichel won’t be missed, Marcelo Saracchi will be missed, Kelechi Iheanacho? Perhaps, maybe.
How could it be anything else when Michael Nicholson and Dermot Desmond are in the driving seat.
Some fans are claiming that a new way of working has been established by signing two Champions League proven strikers.
The haggling over a deal for Mika Baur suggests that nothing has changed.
As recently as January Celtic signed Julian Araujo, Tomas Cvancara, Junior Adamu, Ben Arthur and Joel Mvuka.
But for flagging up a well known heart condition Mvuka would have been starting this season with four years left on his Celtic contract.
There has been no mention of any changes in Celtic recruitment since that January job-lot.
The Recruitment team worked under Paul Tisdale for 15 months. Head of Football Operations is one of many unfilled senior posts at Celtic. It shows.
Realising that he was short on midfield options after the January window closed Martin O’Neill struck a deal to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Net Spend is a Ball Park given we don’t 100% know with outs and ins, what has been agreed in the fine print. Confident it’s about break even so far tho.
And I think that is against a Net Spend of -£15m last year too btw…
— 🍔 Gastro Celtic 🍀 (@Gastro_Celtic) July 31, 2026
With a bank balance somewhere between £70-100m. And £40m on offer from UEFA for negotiating one Champions League Play Off. While seeded.
The saving grace, so far is that O’Neill seems to have halted the arrival of project players.
THE NEVER ENDING PROBLEMS OF CELTIC RECRUITMENT
A year ago Brendan Rodgers was trying to work out what to do with Hayato Inamura and Shin Yamada. Both brought in by Tisdale, debatable if they were even Exeter standard.
Inamura was neat and tidy but wholly unsuited for the physical element of Scottish football.
Rodgers turned down Yamada as a replacement for Kyogo Furuhashi in January.
Six months later Yamada was enforced on him. While Michael Nicholson was selling off Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah.
Going into the new season it is easier to list the players settled at Celtic rather than those linked with moves.
Vil Sinisalo, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Kieran Tierney, Luke McCowan, James Forrest and Yang Hyun-jun are staying. Although Yang is in line for international duty and/or national service.
There is transfer speculation over Alistair Johnston, Auston Trusty, Ben Nygren, Paolo Bernardo, Reo Hatate and Arne Engels. Callum McGregor seems secure.
O’Neill has a tough task negotiating through three domestic matches and a Champions League Play Off while transfer activity continues.
From game to game his squad could change.
Fortunately man-management is one of O’Neill’s greatest strengths. It will have to be.
FAIL TO PREPARE- PREPARE TO FAIL
Celtic’s last three transfer windows have been horrific.
Players such as Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate should have been moved on and replaced.
There are glaring issues in the squad that needs addressed.
There are no wingers that can be trusted to start a match and put in 60 minutes. Then be replaced by someone of similar quality. Forrest, Yang and Sebastian Tounekti have proven to be decent impact substitutes. Who they come on for is the problem.
Back up or competition at left-back remains an issue. Saracchi looked a tap in, Nicholson looked elsewhere. He is still looking.
Goalkeeper hasn’t been addressed.
A year ago Schmeichel entered the final year of his contract. It was quickly evident that he wasn’t the same as the guy that arrived in the summer of 2024.
Ross Doohan is no substitute or back-up for Sinisalo. His last competitive match was in April 2025.
O’Neill starts the season with a decent Starting XI. The bench against Dundee on Monday night should carry a red flag.
Two weeks later Celtic go into the bear pit of a Champions League Play Off.
Having been failed by recruitment Celtic are dependent on O’Neill to get them into the group stage.
And at that point, stepping outside the domestic paddling pool the limitations of the squad will really be exposed.
Select Celtic365 as a “Preferred Source” on Google News for prompts to the independent news and opinions that you respect.
RELATED READING
CLICK HERE for why Michael Nicholson must be sacked.
CLICK HERE for Michael Nicholson fails Martin O’Neill
