Alan McInally has said out loud what many Celtic supporters have been thinking for some time.
The discussion around Celtic’s transfer business often becomes centred on how much money the club spends.
In reality, the bigger frustration has usually been when that money is spent and whether key problems are addressed quickly enough.
McInally’s comments cut straight to the heart of a debate Celtic supporters have had for years.
The issue is not necessarily how much money the club spends. It is whether recruitment arrives quickly enough and whether the right areas of the squad are being addressed.
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Alan McInally has echoed a common Celtic supporter view
Speaking about Martin O’Neill’s expected summer backing, McInally argued that Celtic must provide the manager with the resources needed to improve the squad.
He told the Daily Record, “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!’
McInally’s “50 quid” line makes for a good soundbite, but it is not entirely accurate. Desmond remains Celtic’s largest shareholder, yet he is not the figure who allocates transfer budgets. Any spending plans are agreed at club level rather than being personally signed off by him.
The former Celtic star continued, “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, ‘we’ve got enough to win the league’.
“Okay, they did win it eventually. But we could see that it was by no means a certainty and it could have gone either way.
“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.
“It doesn’t look like Hearts will be going anywhere and we don’t know how deep the Rangers pockets are.
“You have to think those two will come strong again and Celtic will need to be ready.
“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.
“It will be interesting to see where he wants to strengthen and what he’s able to bring in.”
The most telling part of those comments is the acknowledgement that supporter frustration has not necessarily been about a lack of spending.
Instead, it has often been about the timing of that spending and whether recruitment has arrived quickly enough to make the biggest impact.
Celtic must avoid repeating familiar mistakes
Celtic finished the season as champions, but that should not prevent an honest assessment of recruitment.
Winning trophies does not automatically mean every transfer window was handled perfectly. There have been occasions when Celtic supporters felt obvious weaknesses remained in the squad for too long.
That becomes even more important when European football enters the equation. Recruitment completed late in a window can have consequences long before a season settles into its rhythm.
There is no evidence that O’Neill has been handed specific transfer guarantees. McInally was offering his expectation rather than reporting confirmed details.
McInally is correct about one thing. The debate has never really been about whether Celtic spend money. The debate is whether the club act quickly enough when weaknesses become obvious. Until that changes, the same frustrations will continue to surface every transfer window.
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