The mystery over Mark Warburton’s future has deepened with a report in The Express claiming that contract talks with the Sevco boss have broken down.
Since losing the Scottish Cup Final to Hibs the former city trader has become a virtual recluse giving just one interview to The Scottish Sun with his club website left in the dark.
Sevco are due to begin pre-season training on June 18 with Warbo expected to bang the drum for season ticket sales despite his threadbare squad.
With Davie Weir left to introduce Joseph Barton to the club there has been speculation that Warbo is unhappy about his own deal and the player budget to stop Brendan Rodgers taking Celtic to six-in-a-row.
Sky Sports picked up on the Express story but dropped the page with the original story claiming that contract talks had broken down although Warbo wasn’t thinking of walking away.
So far Warbo will have no new faces for pre-season training with Barton on media duty at Euro 2016 while Josh Windass and Matt Crooks are contracted to Accrington until the end of June.
At the Scottish Cup Final Warbo was only able to name five substitutes with Nicholas Law, Nicholas Clark, Dean Shiels and Geidon Zelalem all moving on while Warbo kept his silence.
Speaking in February about how many players he wanted in the summer the former Brentford boss said: “Four or five, probably? It depends how we shape up. We’ll have to wait and see. If the quality is available at the right price, then we’ll move.
“It’s important we add value and quality and don’t just move for the sake of another shirt. It’s a balance. Looking at the finances, looking at how the squad is shaping up, where we are next season.
“There are many aspects. I am very conscious that we have three guys — Nicky Law, Nicky Clark and Dean Shiels — in that situation. They have been magnificent this season in terms of attitude and work ethic.
“You always want to be fair to players. We’ve brought them in, we have spoken to them, but we have to make sure we make the right decision for everyone’s sake.
“They want to play football and it’s a big decision for us. We keep them informed and, hopefully, we reach an arrangement sooner rather than later.
“We’ll report back around June 18. You want the best chance for a strong campaign — the quality of your pre-season programme is significant.”
With less than a week till pre-season training begins Warbo holds all the cards while Dave King and his fellow directors struggle to live up to expectations while dealing with an increasingly disrespectful manager.