Chris Sutton slams Joe Hart for ‘excuse’ about Celtic board after transfer window shambles

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It’s never a dull day at Celtic, that’s for sure.

In truth, it hasn’t been a dull summer, even if it has annoyed and frustrated the life out of the Celtic supporters because many people from inside Parkhead haven’t helped themselves.

With the dust now starting to settle, you can now start to evaluate and analyse what has happened, and it has been a torrid 2025 summer transfer window for the club.

Remember, Celtic are the champions of Scotland, yet on many occasions, the powers that be act like everything is a given, take the fans for granted, or there is hardly anything to spend.

Either way, as the drama of transfer deadline day was unfolding, Joe Hart and Chris Sutton discussed all matters Celtic.

• READ MORE: All Celtic Players Out On Loan 2025/26

Chris Sutton tells Joe Hart not to make ‘excuses’ for the Celtic board

Out of all the former Hoops players, you could argue that Sutton has been the most critical of the Celtic board, and he hasn’t been afraid to call them out.

But not just that, he pulls up former teammates on the matter too, like he did with Neil Lennon over the weekend and before the dull and drab Glasgow derby.

Added to that, on Monday Night Football, when Hart began explaining the road the Celtic board have gone down this summer, he simply wasn’t having the ‘excuse’ coming out of the former goalkeeper’s mouth.

“I think it has been so heavily based, the transfer window that they stand firm that they aren’t going to commit to anything until they know their status,” said Hart.

“In terms of whether it’s the Champions League money or the Europa League money. That’s not an excuse. They have stood by that. I was a part of that when I went in.”

Sutton then interrupted: “That is a bit of an excuse, Joe. You can’t use that. Not when you see other clubs, for example, Brugge, the way that they plan. The way they have done it.

“Kyogo wasn’t replaced in January. Brendan Rodgers talked about the need for him to be replaced in January. He wanted somebody in. Okay, it didn’t happen in January. Maybe Celtic would have won the Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen.

“But, for him not to be replaced before a game that means so much, in terms of bringing money to the club, and the importance of that Champions League income. Massive for Celtic. Massive for Rangers. For Nicolas Kuhn to be sold because he wanted to go. A little bit like Kyogo. To be sold three weeks before the qualifier, I don’t see why the club let him go.

“I think it would have been reasonable to say, ‘hang on, Nicolas. Play the qualifier. Get us into the Champions League, and then you can go with all our best wishes.’

“Then you look at what happened with Adam Idah on Friday. He was pulled back. They were happy to pull Idah back, but didn’t have a stance on Kuhn and Kyogo. There are so many things that don’t add up. It’s too simplistic to say that players wait for the Champions League and the Europa League.

“That’s from a player’s angle. From the club angle, the bottom line is that it’s either complacency or incompetence, because other clubs have done it and been successful at doing it.”

Hart responds to Sutton’s rant

The two players who have been constantly mentioned have been Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn – one left in the winter, and the other early summer.

Hart explained to Sutton that ‘there is nothing more I would love’ than for Celtic to have replaced Kyogo with a ‘star striker’ coming in, and the same with Kuhn.

But, of course, that simply hasn’t happened, as Hart added his thoughts from the perspective of a player who recently left the Celtic Park dressing room.

“Again, I am not here defending what they are doing,” responded Hart. “There is nothing more I would love to see than Kyogo out of the door, and a star striker come through.

“Kuhn out of the door, and then flipping the money they have made for him. Even if it’s just the profit and spending it on someone in Europe or the Premier League, they can bring in. I know they would have a great time at Celtic.

“I am not defending it. I am just saying, that’s their structure and their model that they have stuck to. I didn’t see it changing until they knew what was going on Champions League-wise.

“I think a lot of players that they would have been talking to would have been saying the same thing. ‘I want to come to Celtic, but I want to experience the Champions League nights.'”