Soccer Football - Scottish Premiership - Kilmarnock v Celtic - Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, Scotland, Britain - April 16, 2023 Celtic non-executive Chairman Peter Lawwell in the stands before the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
With Michael Nicholson overseeing a complete disaster of a transfer window worrying audio has emerged of why one transfer deal didn’t go through.
The Celtic CEO is usually highly efficient at selling player as the deals to dismantle the forward line through the transfers of Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah demonstrates- all sold without replacements brought in.
It seemed that Yang Hyun-jun would also be leaving Celtic during the summer transfer window but according to one audio clip it appears that Nicholson got cold feet on that move with a knock-on effect on other deals.
There is no way of verifying how accurate the audio below is but it certainly fits in with a pattern of how the Celtic CEO operates, recently Ben Siegrist discussed on a podcast how a deal for his transfer out of Celtic sat for weeks unanswered. A deal to move on the third choice keeper.
Surely to fuck this can’t be true
Would not be surprised one bit pic.twitter.com/E3eUa14RWI
— JamD1888 (@celticjam83) September 1, 2025
Everything that you hear about Celtic and what sort of basket-case they are isn’t really too far from the truth. I’m friends with Yang’s UK agent, so Yang was told that he could go at the start of the window, and then injuries etc he was told ‘no, we need to keep a hold of you’. That’s fine, ‘we’ll definitely be allowed to leave?’ ‘yes, you’ll definitely be allowed to leave, don’t worry about that’.
Birmingham wasn’t always his destination, Swansea were involved, Norwich were involved, but anyway. It came out that it was Birmingham obviously.
So Yang goes to the airport, he’s flying down there, the guy (Craig) Gardner who you might remember, he was a centre mid, he’s their Technical Director or whatever you want to call it. He’s in contact with my mate (Yang’s agent) saying, paperwork is pretty much all done, we just need to get him down here to actually sign things and to actually give him a second medical I guess.
So, we go out to work, come back and he’s got a million messages on his phone from his business partner saying that Birmingham have pulled the deal. They’ve pulled the deal because Nicholson has refused to answer his phone. Birmingham were trying to get in contact with Celtic and Nicholson just isn’t answering the phone to them.
Every time that he gets through to the club they are saying ‘oh he is busy on deals’. So that move, basically that pissed off Birmingham, they scrapped the deal and that’s why they ended up with Paddy Roberts. It’s shameful stuff.
On Deadline Day transfers can be part of a chain as Anthony Joseph explained:
Swansea City are trying to sign Burnley winger Manuel Benson, after his move to Celtic fell through.
Celtic agreed a loan deal and he was due to travel to Glasgow.
However, after the Birmingham City’s £3m deal for Hyunjun Yang collapsed, Celtic pulled the plug on Benson’s move. pic.twitter.com/C18Ry9nCUD
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) September 1, 2025
How happy are you with Celtic's summer 2025 transfer business?
Wonderful- great business completed
Horrific- changes must now be made
These types of stories are becoming increasingly common around Celtic, a club without a recognised structure where various people are claimed to be the decision maker.
In four years as CEO Nicholson is famous for two comments. In his only ever media interview, in June 2023 he claimed that the ambition of the club was to be world class in everything that they do, five months later at the club AGM he was asked a detailed question about decisions from John Beaton and replied ‘penalty to Rangers’ to the amusement of most of the elderly audience.
An utter disgrace, abject failure….is it not common place now with this board?!!
How much longer can this go on ?…The whole of the transfer window reeks of incompetence at its highest level…Shameful stuff…even by our usual standards… Nicholson cannot survive this.
All aimed at forcing BR to resign
The only way these charlatans listen is when it hits their pockets. The only way that can be done now is not to take the europa tickets
That will not help as non season ticket holders will snap them up
Editor: Highly unlikely.
I feel sorry for Brendan. He wants Celtic to be successful and competing in Europe. I think he was promised the backing and has been let down. I hope he doesn’t leave he is doing his part it’s down to the board to give him the best tools to do the job. I think the board will throw Brendan under the bus and some how make it his fault even though he has come out on many occasions saying that he doesn’t deal with recruitment. If Brendan stays great. I would like to see DD (the invisible man)come out and tell the fans what is there plan and what went wrong. Or the board to show some balls and hold their hands up and take the blame or get them to you know where
You are absolutely correct Terence its shameful stuff of the highest order. The tribute act with not a pot to piss in spending around 30 million on players an we’ve spent 8. Our forwards for this year to compete in 4 competitions include yang, forrest, Kenny and yamada and in the last year they 4 combined haven’t even scored 10 goals for us. Not 1 single supporter should be buying tickets for europa league, we can’t keep funding these incompetent charlatans. If anyone buys tickets they should be getting the same treatment as the scabs did during the miners strikes.
Keep in mind that he is continuing to behave like this knowing, and I have no doubt he does, that virtually every fan thinks he is fucking useless.
This man really is not giving two fucks what any of us think.
That’s the part that really grinds my gears.
Please stay BR, deliver the lge, maybe a double, stick a finger up to the suits as you go, but more importantly….tell us all what happened.
It can’t be business as usual after this. This must be a watershed moment, how long will the support let these men treat them like dirt and yet still slavishly hand over their money?
And anyone who was in any doubt as to why he walked the first time shouldn’t be now.
I’m just astonished he chose to return to be treated the same second time around.
I’m afraid the fans will do what they always do, nothing. Gave my season ticket up some years back, because of this stuff, have never regretted it. People go on about others waiting to snap up their season book if they give it up, poor excuse, for continuing to see something you professe to love, evicerated over the years, leaving a shell of what the team could be. Personally I’m glad I made a stand, unfortunately others won’t, putting themselves and a ghost team before running these charlatans out of town. That is the only thing they’d understand, or that might get them out, they don’t care about football, but as I say, once again the fans will do nothing. You deserve what you get, and are prepared to accept, a sub standard Celtic.
The only solution now to get rid of this board is boycotts,holding back money is too late now,STs have all been bought, merchandise all been bought,don’t buy any europa league packages but a half empty ground will send a massive message to this board of chancers.Yes a boycott maybe be detrimental to the team on the day but no more detrimental than the way this board is treating the manager and fans ,as the saying goes no pain no gain,so yes maybe selected televised games should be boycotted,it’s the only thing now that would make this board sit up and notice.
OK, we don’t exactly know what goes on behind the scenes at the club,
but we can reasonably surmise that the club’s transfer business is a bit confusing,
[to put it politely!]
So, we can also reasonably surmise that it must be confusing / frustrating when other
clubs are trying to interact with our club?
[The example quoted in the article above is absolutely believable.]
And, we can also reasonably surmise that there are real, behind the scenes issues
at the club and how it is run.
It’s a plc: someone has to take accountability. 🙁
I can’t wait to see how that Board lickspittle, P67, tries to spin this as BR’s fault. Today’s article should be priceless. I think I might end up framing it!
Oh….in case you missed it…..P67’s latest is that the success we achieved the first time BR was here was all down to how great Chris Davies is. It’s nothing to do with BR apparently. Who knew?
For what it’s worth, I think the current Board are an utter disgrace. On the balance of probabilities there was a decision at Board level to undermine the manager. It is an act of deliberate sabotage on the Club and all those involved shouldn’t spend a moment longer in their positions.
Editor: The loyal messengers will soon be spreading the view that it was a difficult window due to uncertainty over the future of the manager. Certainty.
When Michael N was getting all his academic qualifications, how often did he ask
his supervisor for more time? His team is good at selling, as many have noticed and commented, but somewhat lacking in the buying department. Joe McHugh could give Michael’s team more time by taking on the selling. When much younger and before he became a sports Journalist, Joe was great at selling vacuum cleaners. The Media identification of targets was not so crash hot.
Supporting Brendan in the Europa games, will lift the team spirit and unite fans. Brendan has already said he has no intention of leaving. He and his team will embrace the challenge for sure.
There is about 10 days to get the team clicking like a Swiss watch. At the moment they are playing like an old worn out fob watch that needs a regular wind.
When the young budding best players on loan or in the B team, read about all the Club ‘s overseas targets and hear about Academy players leaving, they must ask, why are they here.
They answer; We are here to be a shinning star somewhere, but we don’t know where.
I must add: There are a lot more people than Michael Nicholson responsible for recruiting. It was said recently by a friend that Michael works very long hours. For the future transfers, as CEO; get the whip cracking and the recruiting team moving ahead.
Editor: You are utterly clueless, you won’t be peddling any more lies on this website, stick with the lads over on CQN for your blind devotion.
John Clarke if that’s what working very long hours achieves for nicholson,I’m glad he doesn’t take any time off,these VERY long hours you’re mate said he works wtf is he actually doing because it’s not getting players in,it’s maybe long hours selling players so he can make more money for him and liewell.
..some supporters we,ve got at celtic,,,champion,s of scotland for the last ten years….and it seem,s everyone is back biting each other…and the daily rubbish loveing it ,they thought we were going to blow it…..they will do anything to get hands on our scottish championship………..we got the result that made them sick………on sunday…..yes it,s a grand old team to play for …..when celtic go out on that park eveyone of us is on there to….let glasgow celtic florish……..as us celtic supporter,s say in glasgow the old green place………half way round the wrold and not even a mention sunday beautiful sunday..
Editor: I’ve approved this first time comment to let others see the blinkered CQN attitude that is still out there among the cult followers.
Excellent responses editor, and a good article.
Agree with that Jim.
Another excellent article Joe.
That guy pk seems to have left the middle 3 letters out of his nom de plume.
He’s also adopted my style of writing…Very feckin’ badly I might add…Beam me up Scotty.
He’s also adopted my style of writing…Very feckin’ badly I might add…Beam me up Scotty.
On the Ring Yang Wrong it’s the Wrong Yang Ring when Yang Hyun-jun had Birmingham Ring Nicholson.
That makes perfect sense of Nicholson’s transfer deals to me.