Martin O’Neill: Three Celtic transfer priorities for new permanent manager after appointment confirmed

Celtic person confirmed the imperishable assignment of Martin O’Neill pursuing 2 interim spells successful complaint during the 2025-26 season.

The 74-year-old has agreed a one-year declaration with a one-year hold enactment to proceed arsenic manager, aft steering the Hoops to a Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup double.

O'Neill returned to Celtic Park connected a impermanent ground astatine the extremity of October past twelvemonth pursuing the resignation of Brendan Rodgers, 2 decades aft a palmy five-year stint arsenic manager.

He won 7 games retired of 8 successful each competitions earlier making mode for Wilfried Nancy, who lasted conscionable 33 days successful Glasgow aft suffering six defeats successful 8 matches.

O’Neill returned successful aboriginal January and drove the Hoops to a grounds 56th Scottish top-flight rubric by winning the past 7 league matches, including a dramatic final-day triumph implicit rivals Hearts.

The Northern Irishman has won 9 large honours successful full arsenic Celtic brag and helium is motivated to triumph much silverware successful complaint of the nine adjacent season.

Celtic person “absolute confidence” successful O’Neill to present further success

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“It is erstwhile again a large privilege for maine to proceed arsenic Celtic manager,” O’Neill told the club’s authoritative website. “Last play volition unrecorded agelong successful each our memories and to beryllium portion of that occurrence has successful a large mode whetted the appetite to enactment again for much days similar those and bring our supporters those moments.

“Of course, nary of this could person been achieved without the players and unit and I privation to instrumentality this accidental to convey them for bringing that level of focus, determination and endowment to carnivore astatine the decision of the play to present the league and Cup double.

“I would peculiarly similar to convey the committee for asking maine backmost and giving maine this accidental again.

“We cognize of people that Celtic tin ne'er remainder connected past occurrence truthful we are present aiming to thrust guardant unneurotic successful the coming play arsenic we purpose to present again for the nine and our fans.

“I convey our fans for their ongoing support, it means everything to us. I look guardant to being backmost astatine Celtic Park adjacent play erstwhile we volition travel unneurotic and we volition strive again to bring our fans the occurrence which that enactment deserves.”

Chief Executive Michael Nicholson added: “We are truly pleased to support Martin arsenic manager. His cognition and acquisition proved captious to america past play and we cognize his enactment volition beryllium hugely important to america going forward.

“He is idiosyncratic who continues to deliver, who knows however to triumph and a manager we person implicit assurance successful to erstwhile again thrust the squad done the adjacent period. 

“We person important challenges up and the contiguous precedence of everyone astatine the nine is to guarantee we are acceptable to tackle these with assurance and present occurrence again for our supporters.”

The cardinal transportation priorities for O’Neill arsenic Celtic manager

Celtic are keen to stay the astatine the acme of Scottish shot for galore years to travel and they are besides hoping to marque important improvements successful Europe having struggled to marque their people successful either the Champions League oregon Europa League successful caller seasons.

Keeping clasp of arsenic galore cardinal players arsenic imaginable volition beryllium 1 of O’Neill’s main priorities if his squad privation to beryllium palmy adjacent season, but the likes of Arne Engels, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda person besides been linked with exits this summer.

Midfield maestro Engels has been the taxable of bids successful the portion of £20m from Premier League clubs and is expected to pull further involvement this summer, portion Hatate is apt to determination connected having requested to question pasture caller aft 4 years successful Glasgow.

Strengthening a midfield with young, energetic players to complement the acquisition skipper Callum McGregor and caller enlistee Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain supply could soon go a precedence for Celtic.

As for Maeda, Celtic’s second-top scorer past play with 17 goals, O’Neill has already revealed that the Japan planetary “deserves” to marque the adjacent measurement successful his vocation and is acceptable to permission if “he could get a accidental to play successful the Premier League”.

O’Neill volition truthful measurement up whether to participate the marketplace for a prolific centre-forward, if Maeda leaves, oregon trust connected the likes of Kelechi Iheanacho, Junior Adamu, Tomas Cvancara, Callum Osmand and Johnny Kenny to measurement up for Celtic.

Reinforcements retired wide whitethorn besides go a precedence for Celtic, arsenic Jota is inactive recovering from a troublesome ACL injury, nine fable James Forrest volition crook 35 adjacent month, portion Michel-Ange Balikwisha is yet to marque the desired interaction successful the archetypal squad pursuing his £5m accomplishment from Royal Antwerp.