Alan McInally believes Martin O’Neill will have been promised significant backing to shape Celtic in his image as the club prepares to confirm him as permanent manager.
The Northern Irishman is set to sign a one-year deal with the option of a further 12 months at Parkhead. Former striker McInally has welcomed the move but insists Dermot Desmond must provide the funds required to sustain success.
“I can only assume Martin will be given a decent bag of money to bring in some players,” he said. “He should get it. I don’t think Dermot Desmond can give him 50 quid and then say, ‘go and win the league!’” [Daily Record]
McInally pointed to frustration among supporters over recruitment strategy last season, adding: “Speaking to Celtic fans, there was a frustration about, maybe not the lack of investment as such, but the lack of investment at the right times or the right kind of spending.
Read more
-
Celtic's three non-negotiable transfer priorities this summer
-
Nottingham Forest 'revive' interest in Celtic's Arne Engels as two rival clubs keen
-
Ex-Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy in frame for second Ligue 1 job
“I don’t know if there was an attitude, ‘we’ve got enough to win the league’. Okay, they did win it eventually, but we could see that it was by no means a certainty and it could have gone either way.”
He expects O’Neill to demand assurances as he looks to reshape the squad. “I would have thought Martin will have asked for some guarantees because he’ll want to freshen up this squad,” McInally said.
“There will be players leaving, and he’ll want to bring in others who are really competitive. He’ll want to make sure he’s not just challenging for the league, but also in Europe.”
With rivals expected to strengthen, McInally warned Celtic cannot stand still. “It doesn’t look like Hearts will be going anywhere and we don’t know how deep the Rangers pockets are,” he added. “You have to think those two will come strong again and Celtic will need to be ready.
“The Champions League was a massive disappointment last year, and that’s something Martin will want to address, because that is the stage Celtic have to be on.”
