Minutes from Celtic’s meeting with the Association of Irish Celtic Supporters Clubs have emerged following the club’s recent trip to Ireland, and they offer a familiar picture of the issues surrounding this summer’s transfer business.
One of the key topics raised was the slow progress in the transfer market.
According to the reported minutes, released by VideoCelts, Nicholson pointed to the difficulty of negotiating with players’ agents, along with competition from clubs in the English Premier League and Championship, as major factors behind the pace of recruitment.
He also reportedly stated that deals involving players who are out of contract are currently being worked on.
The discussion then turned to what Martin O’Neill wants from the remainder of the window.
According to the minutes, the Celtic manager told those in attendance that he had informed the board the club are “in major need of signings” if they are to compete. He also acknowledged that the players he has identified as targets are difficult to persuade to move to Glasgow.
Supporters also asked about the club’s longer-term direction.
A question from Cork No. 1 CSC prompted Nicholson to outline the recently approved strategy, describing the ambition as being “the best club in Scotland, be financially sound, and compete in Europe.”
O’Neill chimed in to say his own role is “more selfish and short-term”, while stressing that both objectives have to work together. He again underlined the need to strengthen the squad through recruitment if Celtic are to compete at a higher level.
Supporter engagement was another issue raised during the meeting.
Brian Wilson said improving communication with supporters remains an area the club are continuing to work on, a subject that has been discussed repeatedly over recent months.
The reported minutes have not been officially released by Celtic, but little in them will surprise supporters.
The need for fresh faces has been obvious throughout the opening weeks of pre-season, and O’Neill’s reported comments reflect what many fans have been saying since the campaign ended. Nicholson’s explanation around agents and competition from England is also one supporters have heard before.
Whether those difficulties are enough to justify the current pace of business is another matter.
With only one new signing through the door so far, the pressure to add quality before the competitive action begins is only increasing. The club’s leadership appear to recognise the need for reinforcements. Supporters will now judge them on whether those additions arrive in time to make a difference.
You can read the full minutes of the meeting here.
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3 responses
the only difficulty is parting with money ,your money the season ticket holders have given carte blanch to do what they want which is keep the money, don’t be a mug stop giving them your money or you are complicit in the destruction of our club
Do you not understand Celtic are a Big club in a Small pound. if the players dont want to come to Scotland then there is nothing we can do about it. By the way Season ticket money don’t would only pay the wage bill at Celtic Park. The transfer money comes out of the money that Celtic have received over the yearsfrom winning the League and cups and from the runs in Europe.
We had a chance to bring a manager in who developed players. A manager who looks all the way from the youth set-up to the first team and has a vision. We could have bought Just and/or Maswashise last season. We could have spoke to some of our loan players before the end of season if we wanted to buy them. We could have sorted out with Martin to stay for 2-years instead of a break at the end of season. We could have gone for Bowie at Hibs. AOC we didn’t need, James Forrest I love but another years contract? McCowan and Bernado need to be moved on. We need a Board with vision. Michael Nicholson moves like a sloth and I’d hate to hear the big sell or view the big picture he has for Celtic. It’s a series of shambolic ill-planned leaps in and out of desperation.