Chris Sutton says he’d be ‘stunned’ if Martin O’Neill hasn’t made his desires ‘crystal clear’ with the Celtic board.
We are now 49 days on from the conclusion of last season, and Celtic’s only addition until this point has been Camilo Duran.
The opening of the Scottish Premiership season is now three weekends away, and Sutton has urged Celtic to open the chequebook before then.
Unsavoury memories of last summer are still fresh in the minds of the Parkhead faithful.
💪 A 6 ft 2, varied defensive midfielder…
Mory Gbane looks like someone Celtic could do with 👀
Chris Sutton on Celtic and Martin O’Neill assurances: ‘I’d be absolutely shocked’
Sutton wrote in the Daily Record: “Martin deserves serious financial backing.
“I know Dermot Desmond, Michael Nicholson and Brian Wilson were in the stands in Dublin on Tuesday night.
READ MORE: Martin O’Neill lifts lid on almost rejecting Celtic job, and why he U-turned
“I’d be stunned if, when he signed his new contract, Martin didn’t make it crystal clear what he felt this squad needed. I’m sure he would have had a clear plan.
“Otherwise, why would he have risked doing another year?
“Managers are always strongest when they first agree on a new deal. You’d imagine he would have wanted assurances. I’d be absolutely shocked if he didn’t.
“Ultimately, the board need to show they have learned from last year.
“Expectations are high. People want to see Celtic competing again in the Champions League.
“You think back to them taking Bayern Munich all the way in the knockout stage, and for whatever reason, the club sat on their hands and it all regressed.
“Now they’re trying to get back to that level and that’s not going to be easy if they sell their best players without bringing in the quality needed to replace them.
“Duran looks like a good player on paper and it’s encouraging to finally see Celtic open the chequebook.
“But just like I was, the Colombian is only the first piece of the jigsaw and there’s still so much work to be done.”
🤔 Should Celtic buck the trend of not signing Scottish Premiership players and push to sign Josh Mulligan this summer?
Who will be Celtic’s next signing after Camilo Duran?
Celtic are pushing for the signing of a goalkeeper, as O’Neill has confirmed. Tjark Ernst and Dinko Horkas appear to be the club’s main two targets.
Haissem Hassan has been linked with Celtic, his World Cup performance for Egypt against Argentina certainly won’t have put anyone off.
Elijah Just has also shone at the tournament; the Hoops have scouted him extensively over recent months but will face competition for his signature.
A good way to get more fans on side would be adding Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi, without both of whom last season’s league and cup double wouldn’t have been possible.
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