O’Neill points to progress as Celtic’s summer business stalls
Martin O’Neill says Celtic are “making some progress” in adding new faces, but the Scottish champions have managed only one signing so far and missed out on two targets they wanted to keep.
The manager spoke out after Saturday’s 1-1 pre-season friendly draw at home to Middlesbrough, a match that drew criticism from fans over the club’s quiet summer in the transfer market. Some supporters linked that lack of activity to the poor attendance for the Championship side’s visit.
Camilo Duran, signed from Qarabag, equalised after David Strelec, a player previously linked with Celtic, had given Middlesbrough the lead. The Colombian is the club’s only summer addition and has now scored twice in pre-season.
O’Neill insisted the squad will be strengthened before the campaign begins. “We will bolster the squad,” he said. “We are making some progress. We’ll hopefully see a couple of new faces by the time that we kick the season off.”
Missed deals for Iheanacho and Saracchi
Celtic wanted to retain Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho at the end of his one-year contract, but he signed earlier this week for Bursaspor, newly promoted to Turkey’s second tier. “We thought we had a deal with Iheanacho and it didn’t go,” O’Neill added. “It was something we thought we had sorted out.”
Reports suggested Bursaspor offered the 29-year-old a higher salary, but O’Neill declined to confirm that. “There are two sides to every particular transfer as there is to every story,” he said. “I thought we had a deal with him at the time, but seemingly that wasn’t the case and so he’s gone to pastures new.”
O’Neill had also hoped to keep Marcelo Saracchi after the 28-year-old Uruguayan left-back’s loan from Boca Juniors. Saracchi posted on Instagram on Friday that he and his agent “did absolutely everything within our power to make a return to Glasgow happen”. O’Neill responded: “Saracchi’s done very well at the football club and there’s circumstances which seemingly it was never going to happen.”
Executive warns of market difficulty
Chief executive Michael Nicholson has admitted it is proving “difficult” to add players because Celtic are competing with big-spending clubs in England’s top two divisions. O’Neill, however, would not commit to firm promises on arrivals beyond acknowledging movement is underway.
Season opener ahead
Celtic open their Premiership season at home to Dundee on 3 August. Duran’s pre-season form offers O’Neill one confirmed new option, but the manager’s hope for more signings remains unfulfilled by results so far.