It seems as though Celtic are already preparing for next season, even though the fans don’t know who will be the club’s next manager.
While Martin O’Neill is still in the dugout right now, it’s expected that the Celtic hero will depart, but that hasn’t stopped him from discussing summer plans.
Make no bones about it, whether Celtic win the title or not, there will be major changes, but while others question which players will be signed, O’Neill expressed his worry at how bloated the squad will become.
“Now, interestingly, something I hadn’t realised, when I say I hadn’t realised, I knew we had players on loan, but we are going to have a lot of players coming back here,” said O’Neill.
“So, it’s going to be an oversized squad at the time. That’s something you would have to really look into.”
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Martin O’Neill says Celtic will be ‘pro-active’ in the summer
Whatever happens, this is a mammoth task facing the next manager and those currently in the Celtic boardroom.
The issue here is that Celtic have already made a hash of recent transfer windows, and it’s a big reason why fans have protested again and again.
But O’Neill made it clear in his pre-match press conference ahead of Celtic’s opening post-split fixture against Falkirk that the club will be ‘pro-active’ when the transfer window re-opens.
Reporter: “With those three (Forrest, Scales and McCowan), it now becomes apparent that the people who you know are going to be at the club beyond next season.
“Can fans look into that and read that things are really beginning to motor behind the scenes, as to already planning for what’s coming.”
O’Neill: “Yeah, I think it’s getting back to what happened last season. I think we are going to be, the football club, is going to be pro-active if we can be.
“There is a shortened period before, always has been up here, but it’s a shortened period. We will see. The games are the most important thing at this minute. The time element is kind of short after the season finishes until you come back pre-season.
“Now, interestingly, something I hadn’t realised, when I say I hadn’t realised, I knew we had players on loan, but we are going to have a lot of players coming back here, so it’s going to be an oversized squad at the time. That’s something you would have to really look into.”
Which players are out on loan?
Even up until January, Celtic were moving players out, such as Johnny Kenny and Shin Yamada.
You even had the situation when Stephen Welsh returned to Celtic from Motherwell, but by the end of the month, he was sent back to Fir Park.
Nonetheless, here is a list of the Celtic players who are currently out on loan and are due to return this summer:
- Shin Yamada – loaned to Bundesliga 2 side Preußen Munster, returns in June
- Hayato Inamura – loaned to J1 League side FC Tokyo, returns in June
- Luis Palma – loaned to Polish top-tier side Lech Poznan, returns in June
- Stephen Welsh – loaned to Premiership side Motherwell, returns in June
- Johnny Kenny – loaned to English League One side Bolton Wanderers, returns in June
- Odin Thiago Holm – loaned out to Norwegian top-tier side Valerenga, returns in December
- Josh Clarke – loaned to Scottish Championship side, Partick Thistle, returns in June
- Maik Nawrocki – loaned to Bundesliga 2 side Hannover 96, returns in June
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