Celtic return to action on Saturday when AC Milan visit Celtic Park for the club’s final pre-season fixture before the new campaign gets underway.
So far, it has been a summer that has done little to ease supporters’ concerns.
The Hoops opened pre-season with a draw against Shelbourne before heading to Portugal for a warm-weather training camp. A heavy 4-1 defeat to Sporting CP followed, exposing areas that still need to be addressed before competitive football returns.
Martin O’Neill’s side were then back at Celtic Park for the first time since that dramatic final-day title win over Hearts, with Middlesbrough providing the opposition in a 1-1 draw.
There was one obvious positive.
Camilo Duran continued his encouraging start to life at the Celts by scoring his second Celtic goal in as many appearances. The Colombian looks ready to begin the season as the club’s first-choice striker and has made an immediate impression after arriving this summer.
Beyond that, though, the focus quickly shifted away from the football.
The attendance told its own story.
Around 5,000 Middlesbrough supporters made the trip north, while only around 7,000 Celtic fans were inside the stadium. For a first home match since lifting the league title, it was a striking turnout.
Supporters have made their feelings clear throughout the summer, and that frustration is not fading as the start of the competitive season moves ever closer.
It is now more than a month since interim chairman Brian Wilson said it would be an active few weeks at the club.
Since then, Duran remains the only new arrival. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has signed a new one-year deal, but that is not the type of business supporters have been waiting for.
Several supporters’ associations and fan groups have already released statements expressing concern over the lack of movement during the transfer window.
The contrast between incoming and outgoing business has only added to the frustration.
Maik Nawrocki has completed a move to French side Lens, who secured Champions League football after finishing second in Ligue 1 last season. Once again, Celtic have shown they can conclude departures quickly.
The same urgency has not been evident when it comes to strengthening the squad.
The need for fresh faces is obvious. Every week that passes leaves fewer opportunities to get players through the door, settled into the squad and ready for the challenges ahead.
Celtic are running out of time to build momentum before the season begins. If the club continue to move at the current pace, more transfer targets will slip away, and the pressure on the hierarchy will only grow.
