Exclusive:Celtic board told of 'desperate need' they must fix amid five-player shopping list and Kuhn 2.0 requirement
A former Celtic star has highlighted three key areas that Celtic must address urgently
Celtic have been urged to sign two strikers, two wide players and left-back cover for Kieran Tierney as a matter of priority this summer with Champions League qualifiers looming.
However, ex-Hoops star Aiden McGeady reckons until the club must appoint a new head of football operations, otherwise their ongoing recruitment struggles will continue to linger.
A lack of a cohesive footballing blueprint at Parkhead has left Celtic relying heavily on boardroom figures rather than qualified football experts, leading to a scattergun approach to transfer strategy and an over-accumulation of signing ‘project’ players.
McGeady knows the Scottish champions will always find it difficult to compete with the financial power of English clubs, but insists he has never seen the club in such a state of flux. He suggested Martin O’Neill may need to recruit close to double figures before highlighting three key areas that need urgent attention.
Speaking exclusively to GlasgowWorld in partnership with BetBrain, the 93-time capped Republic of Ireland international said: “The recruitment has been slow, but I think the structure of the club behind the scenes has taken time to put into place. It took a little while for the manager to be appointed, and it took a while to sort out his backroom staff.
“Celtic are still without a head of recruitment or a director of football, I know they don't like to use that term. They are in desperate need of recruiting people to fill those positions first and foremost, before I think you'll see everything fall into place.
“But time is of the essence at the minute, because you don't want to have a repeat of last season where you're going into the Champions League qualifiers and you're under prepared, which happened against Kairat and ultimately proved one of the stumbling blocks going that led to Brendan Rodgers' downfall in the end.
“Brendan spoke maybe to openly with the media sometimes about the lack of transfers and the lack of ambition, but I think Celtic are in need of a lot of signings this summer. It's difficult to put an exact number on how many players they need, but if you look at where Celtic were week last season at times, obviously they had limited options in the forward areas.
“They never had a recognised striker until Iheanacho came in as a free agent, but even then he was probably unfit for several months before playing a big part towards the end of the season. Obviously his goals were crucial in winning the title and the Scottish Cup, but he's now decided to move elsewhere and it leaves Celtic in dire need of another striker.
“I think they also need two wide players as well because when you look at last season, Yang was probably their standout performer by default. You had Forrest and Tounekti playing sometimes, but there was no one in the mould of a Nicolas Kuhn from the season before, for example. Forrest will always be there as a backup as he has been in previous years, but definitely two new wide players and possibly two strikers must be priorities.
“You also probably need some cover at left back after missing out on Saracchi. I know there was speculation of him possibly coming back, but that isn't happening now. So that's another key area that needs strengthened.”
Celtic still to make transfer decisions on Maeda and Hatate
In addition to their pressing need for new recruits, Celtic are also facing critical transfer decisions regarding Japanese pair Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate after both players expressing a strong desire to test themselves at a high level.
With highly sought-after Maeda entering the final year of his contract and Hatate seeking a fresh challenge, Celtic must strike a balance between cashing in on two key assets and risking further squad depletion.
McGeady added: “I don't know what going to happen with Daizen and Reo, it's a hard one. I think Maeda finished the season very well and had a good World Cup with Japan, but he's spoken a lot about wanting to leave and having ambitions of playing at a higher level, whether that be England or somewhere in Europe. It's inevitable that Celtic are going to lose him at some point this summer, so I think it's down to the club to get the best price possible for him.
“I'm unsure on Hatate. His stock was very high a couple of seasons ago, but he seems to have allowed his levels to drop a little bit and he wasn't playing a great deal when Martin O'Neill returned. He didn't even get on in the pre-season friendly against Sporting Lisbon last week, so that tells you a lot. I think Celtic are in a position where they are a selling club, that's their model, so I'm almost resigned to losing both of them, but Celtic will have to bring in replacements before they can let them go.”