EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 07: Ex-Celtic player Chris Sutton during a cinch Premiership match between Hibernian and Celtic at Easter Road Stadium, on February 07, 2024, in Edinbugrh, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Chris Sutton expected 10 players to leave Celtic this summer.
The former Celtic striker doesn’t name the 10 that will be leaving but it seems safe to assume that none of the loan players will be staying on.
That clears Marcello Saracchi, Julian Araujo, Tomas Cvancara, Junior Adamu. Joel Mvuka and Ben Arthur from the equation.
With Kasper Schmeichel now retired Celtic are already down one player. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Kelechi Iheanacho are out of contract.
Those sort of numbers make a big dent in the squad even allowing for the return of Maik Nawrocki, Luis Palma and Stephen Welsh.
A week after winning the Scottish Cup there has been no word coming out of Celtic on a range of issues that need addressed.
Top of that list is appointing a manager. A vacancy that has been in place since January 5.
Sutton warned last summer that Celtic looked disorganised. Despite lifting two trophies that remains the case.
Celtic were knocked out of a Champions League Play Off by Kairat Almaty and lost eight times in the SPFL. Four of those defeats came with Wilfried Nancy in charge.
A year later it seems that none of the issues have been corrected.
SUTTON SPELLS OUT THE MASSIVE CELTIC REBUILD JOB
Appointing a permanent manager is essential but Sutton believes that the new boss will be working without several of the players that secured the double.
In the Daily Record Sutton claims:
I can count at least 10 of the current squad who are not going to be there from the end of last season and some of them are key men.
We all know that Daizen Maeda is going to be leaving, Arne Engels and Alistair Johnston are going to attract interest, Reo Hatate will likely go.
These are not squad men. These are vital cogs in the Celtic wheel, and have been for a long time.
Kyogo Furuhashi hasn’t been replaced in 18 months. Now Maeda is going out of the door and we still don’t see any clear evidence of a Celtic plan.
Celtic’s Champions League run in season 24/25 was built around the goals of Nicolas Kuhn, Adam Idah, Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda.
Without those four navigating a Play Off in August will be a tall order.
It appears that there is no sign of urgency inside Celtic to prepare for next season.
With each lost week the scale of the rebuild grows.
Going on recent evidence fans are right to fear the worst if replacements for Johnston, Engels and Maeda are needed.
Don’t forget that the massive rebuild required for the first team squad will have even less time to complete than normal this Summer because of the World Cup and all of the dealings which accompany it ? We don’t even have a permanent top manager recruited yet never mind the desperately needed new playing recruits ! I was always under the impression that all good teams have their head coach well sorted first then he can pick his team he wants with his board and not the other way round ? What would the chaos be like if the board spent say £15 or £20 million sovs( I know ..I know ), on decent players first and then the new head coach arrives and says nah ..I can’t work with these guys …I don’t rate them ! It does feel a tad like the lunatics are running the asylum with this situation ….