Chris Sutton doesn’t think that the situation with Martin O’Neill’s backroom staff is straightforward.
Earlier this week, news broke that the futures of Celtic assistants Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham are in doubt.
The pair have reportedly been offered “non-negotiable, take-it-or-leave-it pay cuts”, despite what they achieved during O’Neill’s interim spells last season.
But Sutton thinks there’s more to it than that, insisting that the club’s player recruitment will be more indicative of their support of O’Neill.
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Chris Sutton: on Martin O’Neill’s Celtic staff: ‘He’ll let them know in no uncertain times’
Sutton wrote in his column for the Daily Record: “In fairness, Brian Wilson coming out to speak was welcome and long overdue.
“I think he is trying to be a bit more proactive in speaking to supporters but he was thin on details and there has to be more done in terms of telling people the plan.
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“There are huge decisions to be made behind the scenes and there remain massive concerns over the transfer dealings.
“Who is sourcing and signing the players? He needs players in the door but they cannot dither like they have done in recent windows.
“There’s also been a lot of discussion over O’Neill’s backroom team, with Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham still to agree deals to stay.
“I don’t think it’s quite as straightforward as some think though. There are a few things to be taken into consideration from all parties.
“I’m sure Martin would like to keep his staff together but we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes when it comes to contracts and so on.
“It might come down to him wanting to force that one over the line but you don’t know people’s personal circumstances.
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“Right now he is in a position where he can say, ‘Give me what I want’ and you have to think this time the Celtic board will listen.
“Martin will want to give himself the best opportunity for success and the lessons have to be learned from last summer.
“What happened with Brendan Rodgers is water under the bridge but you could see the growing discontent when it came to the time taken to make signings.
“That can’t happen again but I’m sure O’Neill will have let them know in no uncertain terms.”
Martin O’Neill’s vital two Celtic assistants
Maloney was moved from the position of Player Pathways Manager upon O’Neill’s initial arrival in October.
Celtic were the club where Maloney’s coaching journey began, when he linked up with Brendan Rodgers to initially work with the club’s reserve side.
Fotheringham, on the other hand, was an external appointment, having spent his coaching career in England and Germany.
He reportedly has interest from Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany, where he has worked before.
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