If Martin O’Neill is indeed staying on as Celtic manager, one question will dominate the summer: what backing will he receive?
The veteran boss has earned enormous credit after rescuing Celtic twice last season and somehow delivering a domestic double. But nobody at the club should be under any illusion that repeating that feat without significant squad improvements is a sustainable strategy.
Former Celtic star Alan McInally believes O’Neill will have demanded assurances before agreeing to continue.
With the club expected to generate substantial transfer income and Champions League qualification offering another lucrative financial boost, McInally expects investment to follow.
Some of the frustration has rarely been about Celtic spending no money. More often it has centred around when the club spends it and whether recruitment has been good enough. £5 million each on Tounekti and Balikwisha was a waste, for example.
Speaking about the situation, he said to RecordSport:
“I can only assume Martin will be given a decent bag of money to bring in some players.
“He should get it. I don’t think Dermot Desmond can give him 50 quid and then say, ‘go and win the league!’
“Speaking to Celtic fans, there was a frustration about, maybe not the lack of investment as such, but the lack of investment at the right times or the right kind of spending.
“I don’t know if there was an attitude of, ‘we’ve got enough to win the league’.
“I would have thought Martin will have asked for some guarantees because he’ll want to freshen up this squad.
“There will be players leaving and he’ll want to bring in others who are really competitive.
“He’ll want to make sure he’s not just challenging for the league – but also in Europe.
“The Champions League was a massive disappointment last year and that’s something Martin will want to address, because that is the stage Celtic have to be on.”
The next few weeks could therefore define O’Neill’s second permanent spell before a ball is even kicked.
Winning the double earned him the job. Delivering him the players needed to improve the squad may determine whether Celtic can build on it. The club can’t give him the substandard loans he receoved in January; he needs, and deserves, real quality players.
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