Celtic Told to ‘Show They’re The Richest Team in Scotland’

The Celtic board insist lessons have been learned but supporters are entitled to be sceptical.

Even though Celtic ended last season with a league and cup double, thanks largely to Martin O’Neill’s remarkable rescue job, few fans have forgotten how chaotic large parts of the campaign were.

The trophies remain in the cabinet, but they do not erase the mistakes that put the club in that position in the first place.

Recruitment remains at the centre of the criticism.

The January transfer window was supposed to strengthen a side chasing trophies on multiple fronts and show that the club had learned from its summer mistakes and back the manager. Instead, it left many supporters feeling Celtic had failed to properly support the manager.

Joel Mvuka, Tomáš Čvančara and Junior Adamu arrived on loan deals but made little lasting impact. All three have since returned to their parent clubs.

Julian Araujo arrived at Celtic and can be the only one who was considered a success, filling in at right-back while Alistar Johnston was injured. He too has rejoined his parent club.

Meanwhile, Celtic’s squad looked short in quality in several key areas during the run-in.

Martin O’Neill ultimately found a way to get the job done, but there is a strong argument that he succeeded despite the recruitment rather than because of it.

That is why this summer feels so important.

The club’s hierarchy now has an opportunity to demonstrate that the promises made throughout last season were more than just words.

Former Celtic striker Andy Walker believes O’Neill will expect the club to show ambition in the market.

Speaking to Go Radio, Walker said:

“I am sure Martin would want a big statement signing just to show everyone that Celtic are the richest team in Scotland.

“We can afford to spend a bit of money.”

It’s a fair point.

Celtic are expected to generate significant funds this summer.

Daizen Maeda is attracting serious interest, Arne Engels continues to be linked with clubs across England and Europe and other departures are very likely.

Luis Palma has already generated a bit of income for Celtic after his loan turned permanent.

Combined with Champions League income and existing reserves, the club should have the resources available to strengthen properly.

The challenge is spending wisely.

Supporters are not necessarily demanding headline-grabbing fees for the sake of it. What they want is quality.

Players who improve the starting eleven, capable of making a difference in Europe.

They want to ensure Celtic do not find themselves scrambling for solutions midway through the season again.

That is the real test facing the board.

Winning the double has bought them time, but it has not erased concerns.

O’Neill has delivered his side of the bargain, now the focus shifts upstairs.

If Celtic genuinely have learned from the mistakes of the last 12 months, this is the transfer window where they need to prove it.