Celtic slammed for lack of 'communication' as pundit claims he sees through board's indecisiveness
The club have been criticised for their lack of purposefulness since the season finished
Martin O’Neill may be on the verge of officially being appointed Celtic boss - but former striker Chris Sutton believes the board’s indecisiveness regarding the manager situation hasn’t helped proceedings.
It’s been 17 days since the veteran boss guided his side to victory in the Scottish Cup final to complete the domestic double and while agreements have now reportedly been made between O’Neill and principal shareholder Dermot Desmond that he’ll keep the job, the club are yet to confirm his appointment.
Desmond held talks with candidates O’Neill and Robbie Keane last week, but received backlash for the latter from sections of the support, given his previous spell at Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv. O’Neill is now set to take charge for another year at the age of 74.
Lack of ‘communication’ frustrates former Celt
While Sutton is happy with the appointment of his former mentor, he still has frustrations with the board for the time it has taken to secure his future. Speaking on the Warm-Up podcast alongside ex Rangers man Kris Boyd, Sutton criticised the hesitant nature of the managerial search.
He said: “The biggest thing which I have been confused with is why we are over two weeks on from the end of the season, and Celtic winning the double, and the announcement still officially hasn't been made. It's about communication. And the fact that there is this silence and the decision-making is taking so long.”
The lack of managerial clarity has left Celtic behind some of their league rivals in the transfer market. Rangers have already secured the signature of Scotland international Lawrence Shankland, while last season’s runners-up Hearts have signed Calvin Miller and MJ Kamson-Kamara, with a deal also agreed for Malachi Fagan-Walcott.
Sutton slams recruitment ‘disaster’
Celtic’s off-the-field problems last season stemmed from them losing out on Champions League football to Kazakhstan minnows Kairat Almaty, after another transfer window where they failed to replace some big names. Sutton believes the recruitment issues go beyond whoever is in the dugout but is hoping the firm hand of O’Neill can spark some investment.
He continued: "That's what I can't understand. What's going to be important is not just about Martin being the manager again. It's about what's going to happen in terms of recruitment. The last two windows Celtic have had have been an absolute disaster. He's in a very strong position. He's saying, 'give me what I want'."
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