Martin O'Neill will have 'guarantees' over Celtic's recruitment this summer from Dermot Desmond, despite a slow start to the window, according to Peter Grant. The former Celtic defender and current commentator for Celtic TV believes as many as four quick-fire deals will be required by the Parkhead icon with the new season looming.
Slow Start to Transfer Window
The Scottish champions are the only Premiership club that have not made a signing so far this summer, while the futures of Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels remain uncertain in Glasgow's East End. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has extended his stay in Glasgow, but there has been no news on out-of-contract teammate Kelechi Iheanacho or loanees including Marcelo Sarrachi.
The new season is rapidly approaching for the Hoops, who begin their Premiership campaign against Dundee on August 3. The first leg of the Champions League playoff is not far behind, with the play-off ties set for August 18 and 19.
Assurances from Desmond
Grant reckons that supremo Desmond will have offered O'Neill assurances over recruitment during talks for permanently taking the job. Grant told the Sunday Post: 'Martin is a wily old fox. He has been around the block. He will know more than anyone that Celtic got away with it last season.'
'It was a remarkable campaign and what he achieved to guide the team to a double was remarkable. But you don't get away with it twice.'
'He will know that this is a squad that needs to be strengthened and he will have had that conversation before accepting the job.'
'He isn't a young, relatively inexperienced manager coming in with no knowledge of how it works between the boardroom and the dressing room. He is well versed in all of this.'
'He will have had a few guarantees about what he was getting in terms of being able to go and mould this squad into the kind of team he wants. He will be more than aware of where the deficiencies were last season.'
Potential Targets
Reports from Azerbaijan state that Camilo Duran has 'agreed' a £3million switch from Qarabag, while the Hoops are keen on £4.3million-rated Hertha Berlin goalkeeper Tjark Ernst. Grant believes that two strikers, a centre-back, and a midfielder are essential for Celtic going into the next campaign.
Explaining the sluggish summer so far, the former Parkhead defender and coach said: 'A major tournament being on definitely has a knock-on effect to the window – every agent and manager will tell you that.'
'Back in the day you sometimes had players who wanted their futures tied up before they went to a tournament. Now, the advice to players from agents is to go and put themselves in the shop window and see what happens after it.'
'The long and short of it is that there is a domino effect in terms of players and clubs when it comes to movement.'
'He will know what Celtic need. They definitely need two strikers. I don't think they should ever have let Adam Idah go. Daizen could have gone last year and it would have made sense to do that and have someone else come in alongside Idah.'
'Now, they need at least a couple of centre-forwards and a centre-half. Cameron Carter-Vickers has had a few injury issues and there was a softness about Celtic defensively last season that needs to be addressed. Another midfielder would be the equation too.'
