Martin O'Neill appointed Celtic manager on a one year deal as Hoops icon extends Parkhead stay
Northern Irishman has put pen to paper on staying at Parkhead
Martin O’Neill has officially become Celtic’s permanent manager as he extends his stay at the club for another year, with a one-year option.
The announcement from Celtic confirms the agreement reportedly made between the 74-year old and principal shareholder Dermot Desmond last week. O’Neill, who took charge of Celtic on an interim basis on two occasions last season, will now be at the helm for the 2026/27 campaign. During a season of chaos on and off the pitch, the veteran boss secured the Premiership and Scottish Cup domestic double.
Now that the Hoops boss has officially extended his stay, the club can look forward to the summer rebuild with some degree of stability. In Celtic’s statement, there is no mention of staff members such as Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham, who are still in negotiations with the club.
Martin O’Neill to stay at Celtic
A club statement read: “Celtic Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Martin O’Neill as Football Manager on a one-year contract with a one-year option. In his connection with Celtic, Martin has already brought nine major honours to the club, including Celtic’s fifth consecutive league title as part of the most memorable league and Scottish Cup double just last month.”
O’Neill himself added: “It is once again a great privilege for me to continue as Celtic manager. Last season will live long in all our memories and to be part of that success has in a big way whetted the appetite to work again for more days like those and bring our supporters those moments. Of course, none of this could have been achieved without the players and staff and I want to take this opportunity to thank them for bringing that level of focus, determination and talent to bear at the conclusion of the season to deliver the league and Cup double.
“I would particularly like to thank the Board for asking me back and giving me this opportunity again. We know of course that Celtic can never rest on past success so we are now aiming to drive forward together in the coming season as we aim to deliver again for the club and our fans. I thank our fans for their ongoing support, it means everything to us. I look forward to being back at Celtic Park next season when we will come together and we will strive again to bring our fans the success which that support deserves.”
Hoops board on O’Neill appointment
Principal shareholder Desmond shares O’Neill’s enthusiasm. He claims: “Time and time again Martin has shown his qualities and what he can bring to Celtic. We know he is a winner, we know what the club means to him and he continues to be the outstanding candidate to give us the best opportunity to realise our objectives.
“He knows the demands at Celtic and I know how determined he is again to bring success to the club and to our supporters. The club will support Martin fully again across the close season to make sure we are well prepared to achieve domestic success and compete on the European stage.”
Chief Executive Michael Nicholson added: “We are really pleased to keep Martin as manager. His knowledge and experience proved vital to us last season and we know his leadership will be hugely important to us going forward. He is someone who continues to deliver, who knows how to win and a manager we have absolute confidence in to once again drive the team through the next period.”
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