If Martin O’Neill is indeed staying on as Celtic manager, one challenge looms larger than any tactical tweak or formation change: recruitment.
The veteran boss may know his current squad better than any alternative candidate, but when it comes to identifying players across Europe, he will inevitably rely heavily on the club’s scouting and recruitment structure.
That is where concerns begin.
The last 12 months have not exactly inspired confidence.
In January alone, Celtic brought in Joel Mvuka, Tomáš Čvančara and Junior Adamu on loan deals with options to buy.
None made a significant impact.
All three are now to return to their parent clubs after failing to establish themselves in the first team.
Adamu’s last-gasp goal against Dundee in the Scottish Cup ultimately turned out to be hugely important in Celtic’s run to Hampden, but beyond that moment none of the January arrivals made a convincing case for a permanent move – in fact, Martin O’Neill didn’t team Adamu and Mvuka worthy of a place on the bench!
That simply cannot happen again this summer.
Celtic are preparing for a window where several key players could depart. Daizen Maeda is widely expected to move on, Arne Engels will be the subject of plenty of enquiries, while questions remain around other senior figures in the squad.
Replacing those players with genuine quality is essential if Celtic are to compete not only domestically but also in the Champions League qualifiers.
Writing on his Patreon, journalist Graham Spiers highlighted exactly that concern.
“Recruitment will be another key area for O’Neill and Celtic over the summer, with Daizen Maeda almost certainly leaving.
“O’Neill may have one or two targets of his own but, in the main, he will simply have to trust the Celtic scouting apparatus to come up with players – he cannot possibly know who is out there and available across Europe.”
That trust is perhaps the biggest unknown heading into the summer.
O’Neill has already shown he can organise a team, build unity and squeeze every ounce out of a squad under pressure.
What he cannot do is personally scout hundreds of players across dozens of leagues.
As Spiers notes:
“Given Celtic’s wretched recruitment of the past 12 months, this will be a troubling leap of faith by the manager.”
That may sound harsh, but it reflects the reality facing Celtic.
The difference between another successful season and a difficult one could come down to whether the recruitment department finally delivers the calibre of player required.
O’Neill got away with patching holes and finding solutions last season.
The next phase is different.
If Celtic are serious about building on a domestic double and making progress in Europe, they need better than stop-gaps. They need signings capable of becoming key players from day one.
