Martin O’Neill has acknowledged that Celtic may face transfer interest in some of their key players, but the interim manager made it clear that bringing in replacements comes first if any departures are to be considered.
Recent weeks have seen links between Celtic stars Daizen Maeda, Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate and moves away from Parkhead. Speculation has ramped up, particularly around Maeda, who was close to leaving Celtic in the summer.
Addressing the rumours, O’Neill stressed that he’s not keen to let anyone go unless it genuinely suits Celtic and a replacement is lined up first: [RecordSport]
“I’ll see what happens. I’m not desperate to let anyone go.
“But if something comes in that I think suits the club and I have a replacement, then it’s not a problem.
“I’d like to get players in before we think about players going out.”
It’s a common-sense approach, and the only one Celtic can take, especially given the current need for quality signings up front and across the squad. Offloading key contributors without adequate reinforcements would risk derailing the club’s season completely.
O’Neill last week inadvertently shone a light on potential summer interest in Maeda, admitting that Wolfsburg were ready to move for the Japanese attacker.
That deal ultimately fell through despite terms being agreed with the player, and Maeda stayed in Glasgow. Wolfsburg are now set to lose winger Skov Olsen to Rangers, but there’s nothing concrete suggesting they’ll return for Maeda this window.
Replacements before exits is exactly what supporters wanted to hear and it’s how the cluh used to work. AJ was in before Juranovic left, Oh begore Giakoumakis left. We need to go back to that.
Celtic cannot afford to weaken as they chase the league title. At the moment, with injuries and a lack of depth still very real issues, selling any of Maeda, McGregor or Hatate without bringing in ready‑made upgrades simply doesn’t seem likely or logical.