Martin O’Neill believes Dermot Desmond will play his part in helping Celtic get transfer business over the line as the wait for new signings goes on.
Camilo Duran remains the only new arrival at the club this summer, with less than three weeks until the Scottish Premiership season gets underway.
Despite growing frustration among supporters, O’Neill is keeping faith that more deals will be completed before the competitive action begins. The Celtic manager also remains hopeful that Kelechi Iheanacho will sign a contract to stay at the club for next season.
O’Neill admitted every manager wants new faces through the door as early as possible, but accepts there are limits. He said (TCW):
“I think that you could wait forever if that was the case. The budgets, as long as I’m still within them, I’d rather get some players in and then see where we go. But every manager would say the same.”
Supporters have become increasingly anxious at the lack of movement in the transfer market, particularly with the season drawing ever closer. O’Neill accepts that concern, but insists work is continuing behind the scenes.
“While I can’t do anything about that, what I can do is try to alleviate that by trying to get a few players in,” O’Neill said.
“We are making some sort of progress on that, as we have been for a while.
“It just takes a wee bit [of time]. Obviously, agreeing terms with the football club, agreeing terms with the players. But we have a couple of people that we think we can do.
“Historically speaking, we were quite late. So, no, I’m not perturbed at this minute.”
O’Neill also revealed he never sought transfer guarantees from principal shareholder Dermot Desmond before committing himself to the job on a permanent basis.
“No, never have done. I genuinely did not. I didn’t put anything at all.
“I didn’t seek any… I just didn’t. I can’t turn around and say, ‘By the way, you need to get me 12 players, and if you only get 10, then you’ve broken the trust.’
“Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve known the owner of the football club for some time and I genuinely believe that he will come up and help when trying to get things over the line, let me put it that way.”
Those comments suggest O’Neill is confident Desmond will back the club’s efforts when deals reach the finishing line. Whether that means additional funds or simply support in getting negotiations completed, the manager clearly expects help when it is needed.
Celtic cannot afford to stand still. Strengthening the squad before the season starts is essential if they are to defend the league title and compete across four competitions.
Interim chairman Brian Wilson said more than a month ago that a busy period was on the way. With the clock ticking towards the new campaign, supporters are still waiting for that promise to be reflected in arrivals rather than speculation.
The pressure is building. Every week without fresh additions increases the scrutiny, and the club will know supporters expect action sooner rather than later.
poor Martin O’Neil, how anyone could believe that the odious Desmond and his malignant cabal of corporate greed and austerity fc can be trusted ,look at the previous transfer windows and the fact we have had a revolving door policy with managers ,this is the actions of an unstable junta in Desmond and Co, do not believe a word of this odious and repugnant example of a human being ,stop giving them your money or you are complicit in the destruction of our club
MON needs to stop being an apologist for Dermot Desmond and his Board of cronies and start demanding quality additions for the team. That’s why I’m sorry Celtic didn’t go for a young, ambitious, hungry manager with a determined single mind to get the players he wants. These old Celtic people are too ingrained in the bow to Dermot mindset and it’s getting tiring. MON is to old to be a manager at Celtic for another season, he should have retired while he was in front. Dermot Desmond and Nicholson will destroy his legacy by their meanness.
Sadly, Martin is a DD yes man, and anyone who thought otherwise is deluding themselves. As usual the least inspired and Irish choice we could make for a manager, as Che says wake up ffs!!.
Yes, Jim, you’re absolutely right. It does seem like Martin has agreed to a one-year pension top up to get DD out of a hole when the mangerial appointment candidates became something of a farce. I seriously doubt that any manager with ambition and drive would even consider Celtic as an option now. That Board is notorious in footballing circles for its absence of vision, not to mention spending. Shocking!