GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 19: Celtic Chief executive Officer Michael Nicholson (L) and Chief Financial Officer Chistopher McKay during a UEFA Europa League Play-Off First Leg match between Celtic and VFB Stuttgart at Celtic Park, on February 19, 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Paul Devlin/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Chris Sutton has described the current state of the Celtic squad as borderline criminal.
Some fans might extend that description to the overall state of the club.
While everyone inside the club is focussed on the remaining matches of this season Sutton has taken a look at the bigger picture.
The shape of the club can be summarised in four worrying groups.
During the January transfer window six players were signed on loan or short term deals that will be leaving. Add to that Marcello Sarachhi from last summer.
Players sent out on loan this season, deemed not good enough will return such as Luis Palma, Maik Nawricki and Johnny Kenny.
Players coming out of contract- Kasper Schmeichel, James Forrest, Kelechi Iheanacho.
And those on long term deals that are making virtually no contribution such as Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Odin Thiago Holm.
SUTTON ON THE MASSIVE SQUAD ISSUES
Celtic haven’t appointed a Head of Football Operations to replace Paul Tisdale which leaves every issue open and up for debate.
In the Daily Record Sutton states:
For over a year, Celtic has been making mistakes and huge ones at that. I moaned last January about the sale of Kyogo Furuhashi, but even I can’t believe they couldn’t find a suitable replacement in two subsequent windows and sold Adam Idah in the process. You look at the striking options available to O’Neill right now and that has to be put into the category of borderline criminal.
Everyone has their own views on the departure of Brendan Rodgers and the sacking of Nancy, but, suffice to say, both of those managers were badly let down by the quality of player at their disposal. Recruitment has been awful. Mistakes from last summer were not rectified because the January business was woeful.
Sutton added:
Fans have seen an erosion of a successful squad right in front of their eyes at the same time as money is bursting out of the club’s bank vault.
It’s hard to quantify just how much work Celtic have to do to sort out this mess in the summer. It’s a herculean job.
There is no sign that Celtic have made any preparations for the scale of rebuild required.
From time to time there are claims of work going on behind the scenes but nothing of substance to back it up.
Michael Nicholson has been CEO since September 2021, he has signed off on every transfer, incoming and outgoing.
During that time Mark Lawwell and Tisdale have been appointed and moved on. Tisdale left on January 5 after just under 15 months as Head of Football Operations.
In recent seasons Celtic have at the very least had the guarantee of qualifiers to get through to reach the Champions League.
At this stage playing in the UEFA Conference is as likely as the Champions League.
If Celtic finish third in the SPFL and fail to lift the Scottish Cup they will face three Conference League qualifiers, starting in June.
The picture is as bleak as the one Sutton paints, worse that that no one in Celtic appears to be working to solve the multiple issues that need tackled.
There is a lot more work to do than appointing a new manager.
Joe… It’s heart breaking to watch the state that Celtic are in it’s even more worrying to know it was all caused by Desmond’s henchmen intentionally selling our best players and replacing them with donkeys but I’m afraid things won’t improve till we can get rid of the tax dodger exile and his hand picked merry men with proper football professional people who can run Celtic as the biggest and best club in Scotland
Yes mistakes were made big ones but we learn from mistakes we all know where we stand in spl outcast any we have so many barriers put in front of us with so many bad calls against nit highlighted like the few for us to ask talented players to play football on tannadice pitch was terribly all so called punters slagging players of bottling it there is ine thung about those players they are no bottlers SFA have to ban clubs for not trying to maje there pitch the best for football pitch wasnt watered or rolled live on tv what an advert for spl looking for sponsors
Jack @ 9.45am…
Jack – You make mistakes and learn from them…
I make mistakes and learn from them…
Celtic supporters will make mistakes and learn from them…
Clachnacuddin FC supporters will make mistakes and learn from them…
All football fans will make mistakes and learn from them…
But these B*stards Lucan, Sly McKay, And Butchers Apron loving Wilson never ever fu**in will learn from their multitude after multitude of mistakes !
Hear hear. These scoundrels will never admit to mistakes, and in any case they are too much in thrall to our Irish Trump to dare go against him.
Sycophants, cowards and monkey bastards the lot of them.