Sadly, this week’s review begins with the same subject that has dominated conversation for far too long.
Transfers. Or, to be more accurate, the complete lack of them.
Another week has passed and Celtic have still not spent a single penny on strengthening the first-team squad. The only arrival has been Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a player who was already at the club. While his permanent signing adds experience, it cannot realistically be presented as the fresh injection of quality this squad desperately needs.
The reality is uncomfortable.
The squad is weaker today than it was when Celtic lifted the Scottish Cup.
That should concern every supporter.
Meanwhile, our rivals have been active in the market, strengthening their squads while Celtic continue to stand still. As things stand, Celtic are the only Premiership club yet to sign a genuinely new first-team player.
How can that possibly be acceptable?
The most frustrating part is that the warning signs have been there for months. This isn’t a problem that suddenly appeared on the opening day of the transfer window. Planning for a Champions League campaign should begin long before the window opens.
Instead, supporters are once again watching another transfer window unfold with the same familiar feeling.
Silence.
No communication.
No clear vision.
No reassurance.
Just the same cycle we’ve witnessed year after year.
Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay are the two men entrusted with delivering the football operation, yet reports of holidays during one of the most important periods of the season have only fuelled supporters’ frustrations. Whether planned long in advance or not, the optics are dreadful. When fans are desperate for leadership, the perception is that nobody is steering the ship.
Dermot Desmond remains largely invisible throughout it all.
Supporters don’t expect daily updates, but they do expect leadership. They expect direction. Above all, they expect ambition that matches the size of Celtic Football Club.
Instead, the disconnect between the boardroom and the terraces appears wider than ever.
The Champions League play-off round is now fast approaching, with the first leg scheduled for 18 or 19 August. That is now only around six weeks away.
Six weeks.
That isn’t a long time to identify targets, negotiate deals, complete medicals, integrate players into the squad and prepare them for arguably the biggest matches of the season.
Those games are worth tens of millions of pounds.
So why does it feel like we’re gambling with them?
What makes the situation even harder to understand is that some deals appear so obvious. Marcelo Saracchi has been heavily linked and, for a reported fee of around £2 million or less, many supporters see it as the type of sensible signing that could be completed quickly. Whether he is the perfect answer or not, fans are asking a simple question.
If a deal makes footballing and financial sense, why isn’t it being done?
Supporters aren’t asking for reckless spending.
They’re asking for decisive action.
Celtic have already banked around £5 million from player sales this summer, while the club continues to sit on one of the healthiest financial positions in Scottish football. The bank balance remains impressive.
But football clubs exist to build winning teams.
The team is more important than the bank balance.
That has always been true.
Looking ahead, there remains genuine concern that players such as Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda or Reo Hatate could attract significant offers before the window closes. If that happens without quality replacements already through the door, Celtic risk weakening the squad even further.
Selling players is part of modern football.
Selling first and scrambling afterwards isn’t good planning.
Elite clubs identify replacements early.
Elite clubs recruit from positions of strength.
Elite clubs don’t wait until the last minute and hope everything falls into place.
Celtic should be shopping in a market above the £6 million bracket if they genuinely want to compete in Europe. The days of continually trying to lowball clubs for every target have become increasingly frustrating. Time after time negotiations appear to drag on, opportunities disappear and supporters are left wondering why the process always feels so amateurish.
The coaching staff also deserve better support.
After delivering another successful domestic campaign last season, they should have the tools to build on that success, not be left waiting while crucial weeks disappear from the calendar. Good coaches can improve players, but they cannot sign them.
Recruitment should be relentless.
Find the best sporting directors.
Find the best analysts.
Find the best scouts.
Find the best sports scientists.
Find the best recruitment experts.
Head-hunt the brightest people in every department and give them the resources to succeed.
That is what ambitious football clubs do.
There is, however, one genuinely encouraging development.
The appointment of set-piece coach Ross Grant looks like a smart, modern addition. It’s exactly the type of specialist appointment many supporters have wanted to see. It suggests there is at least some willingness to modernise behind the scenes.
Now that ambition needs to extend to the transfer market.
Because one specialist coach alone won’t bridge the gap between where Celtic are and where supporters believe the club should be.
Ultimately, nobody enjoys writing articles like this.
Every Celtic supporter would rather spend Sunday morning discussing exciting new signings, tactical possibilities, Champions League optimism and the next generation of heroes.
Instead, we’re talking about inactivity.
We’re talking about missed opportunities.
We’re talking about another transfer window that feels painfully familiar.
The supporters have matched Celtic’s ambitions for generations.
Now it’s time for the board to match the ambitions of the supporters.
Give the manager the ammunition.
Stop gambling with Champions League football.
Stop treating every negotiation like a battle over the last pound.
Invest in the team.
Deliver fresh blood.
Give supporters something to believe in.
Because if those inside the boardroom cannot see the problems that almost every supporter can see, then perhaps the biggest issue at Celtic isn’t on the pitch at all.
