Chris Sutton signed for Celtic in 2000 as one of Martin O’Neill’s first additions to a side that would go on and dominate Scottish football, but the big Englishman has revealed that Dermot Desmond was not too happy about the capture.
In fact, Sutton goes one step further and admits that when O’Neill made it known that he was wanted, Desmond was against the transfer from the beginning.
Sutton told The Warm Up, “I was lucky that, and I was lucky, that Martin gave me the chance. Apparently Dermot Desmond didn’t want to sign me and was questioning Martin about that decision.
“But Martin got it through, and I’m really grateful for him that he did get it through.”
Nobody outside Celtic Park truly knows where Dermot Desmond’s influence truly begins and ends. But Chris Sutton’s latest revelation explains why the question has followed the club for more than two decades.
This isn’t a new Dermot Desmond Celtic conversation
Rumours about Desmond influencing everything at Celtic from player recruitment to hiring managers have been around for years.
Even Martin O’Neill admitted on three different occasions that it was Desmond who called him personally to offer him the Celtic job.
But when it comes to player recruitment, why is Desmond even getting a say? The largest single shareholder does not own Celtic. His advice or concerns on who O’Neill signed then should not have been part of the conversation.
Thank goodness O’Neill insisted because it seems that if Desmond got his way, Celtic would have lost out on one of the most iconic players in the club’s most recent history.
Why Celtic supporters still ask the Desmond question
Since then, Celtic supporters have repeatedly found themselves asking similar questions whenever stories emerge about Desmond and managerial appointments, transfer budgets, recruitment strategy or boardroom involvement.
Whether it’s reports surrounding Robbie Keane, Graham Spiers’ comments on Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham, Frank McAvennie’s claims about scouting or over transfer spending, the common denominator is always the same.
How much influence does Dermot Desmond have over football decisions at Celtic?
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