12 Jun 2026 18:04 BST |
4 min read
Celtic interim chairman Brian Wilson has promised a “very active” summer transfer window following Martin O’Neill’s appointment as permanent manager.
The Hoops officially announced their decision to keep the 74-year-old on Thursday. During talks with principal shareholder Dermot Desmond, O’Neill had indicated a willingness to continue after two successful interim spells last season, which made handing him an extension a no-brainer.
Despite a disappointing start to the campaign under Brendan Rodgers and a dire 33-day period under doomed head coach Wilfried Nancy, O’Neill steadied the ship twice, with his second interim spell culminating in winning a domestic double.
Celtic talked to other candidates, but when O’Neill made it clear that he was keen to stay on board, there was only ever one outcome. The veteran coach has been handed a contract until next year with the option for a further season.
O’Neill is now tasked with rebuilding a squad that is likely to see plenty of turnover in the coming weeks. Benjamin Nygren, Arne Engels and others are sought-after commodities and are expected to depart.
Wilson promises active window
Speaking to club media, interim chairman Brian Wilson has promised Celtic fans a “very active” summer transfer window, with the Parkhead side keen to give O’Neill the necessary tools to tighten the club’s iron grip on the Premiership and to build a foundation for European success.
“Absolutely [O’Neill will be backed], and that is very much part of the basis on which he’s wanted to come back and we’ve wanted him to come back. It’s going to be a very active next few weeks, and we must come out of it with a stronger squad,” Wilson said.
He added: “It’s worth mentioning, maybe for all the criticisms last year, that eight of our players are at the World Cup. We had a lot of very, very good players, so we want to not only retain that strength but also to build on it.”
Wilson accepts that mistakes have been made in the running of the club, though he urges fans to get behind the team no matter what. “We are going to have a full stadium, and it should also be a united stadium,” he pleaded.
“Time and time again, I have said, and other colleagues have said, that mistakes were made last season, that the board made mistakes, individuals made mistakes.
“All of that has been admitted, but everyone has to look at themselves and look at their role in the earlier parts of last season, and the lesson is that division doesn’t work.
“Division is bad for the team, it’s bad for the club, and ultimately, it’s bad for success and what we all want to share in. Let’s not have repetitions of that.
“Nobody’s ever going to be united in praise of board or manager, probably, or anyone else. But let these divisions take place outside of the stadium and let’s have a unity that undoubtedly helped the team over the line in the end last season.”
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