Cardinal Sin- Sutton calls out latest Celtic recruitment issue

Three days after signing for Celtic there is a decent chance that Tomas Cvancara will start the top of the table clash at Tynecastle on Sunday.

After 22 days of the transfer window Celtic completed a deal to sign a striker. On the 25th Martin O’Neill will get to use the on loan Czech.

It is far from ideal. Sutton has been questioning Celtic’s recruitment since early in the summer. Nicolas Kuhn was to Como at the start of July and wasn’t replaced.

DELAYED RECRUITMENT- THE CELTIC WAY

A year on from selling Kyogo Furuhashi Celtic have signed Cavancara. The Czech looks more of an Adam Idah figure, the striker sold to Swansea as the summer transfer window was closing.

There is little sign of joined up thinking, a plan or a strategy.

Celtic appear to work on the hoof, reacting to events rather than shaping them.

Leaving Tynecastle they could be three points behind the leaders or a distant nine. With 15 games left the stakes are high.

Cvancara will be in the spotlight, starting or on the bench.

Sutton will be in the commentary box watching it all, discussing Celtic’s new striker Sutton told the Daily Record:

Colleagues need to know where to find him, when to play, where he wants it. The wide guys need to know if he makes his runs across the front post, or holds for cutbacks, wants it in the air or on the deck. That all takes time and it is time which Cvancara has not been afforded going into this mammoth match. That’s a cardinal sin, in itself.

I’m not going to repeat what I said in last week’s column. I made my feelings clear on how the transfer business is being conducted and the position that my old manager has been left in.

I did notice some of the one-liners had disappeared as he addressed the media prior to the match in Italy, which may tell you a story of its own over how he’s feeling about the slug-like transfer business.

He is still waiting for more arrivals which are still clearly needed and Martin is going to have to pitch a striker straight into a huge game hoping, than knowing, he can cope.

Cvancara is the type of player that is available in January.

If Celtic had a functioning Recruitment Department they would have been well aware of the striker’s situation.

Out of favour at Borussia Monchengladbach and not being paid on loan at Antalyaspor in Turkey.

It isn’t ridiculous to say that Cvancara could have signed for Celtic on January 1, he could be going into Sunday’s match with a few appearances and possibly goals to his name.

Instead it is a familiar tale of slow moving recruitment. Time will tell if it has been a costly delay or an inspired move. By 5pm Sunday we will know for definite.