Seven weeks ago Marcelo Saracchi and Kelechi Iheanacho helped Celtic clinch the double by beating Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup Final.
Martin O’Neill wants both players to be part of his squad for the 26/27 season.
Celtic started pre-season training two weeks ago. They played their first friendly match three nights ago. The SPFL opener against Dundee is three weeks ago.
And still Nicholson can’t conclude what ought to be the easiest deals of the summer.
Today O’Neill sat down with Celtic’s favourite media partners.
The Daily Record reports:
O’Neill is keen to add even more additions over the coming days and revealed the club had ramped up talks with Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi.
Asked if there has been any progress in the last few days, O’Neill said: “I think there has been – yeah. I think Michael Nicholson has spoken to Iheanacho’s agent at this minute. So that’s the conversation at this moment.
“And I think it’s the same with Saracchi. I think both of them would like to come back, given the circumstances; then it’s up to us to try and see if there are deals to be done. I would like to take them, but I think, I think there’s a bit of work to be done.”
It will take an awful lot of work to get the deal done if Nicholson is heading it up for Celtic.
WHY CAN’T NICHOLSON CONCLUDE A TRANSFER DEAL?
Perhaps he could call on Frank Trimboli or Dom McKay to show him how to complete a signing.
Signing a defender not allowed to train with the first team at Boca Juniors and a free agent shouldn’t be the most difficult of tasks.
Unless it is in the hands of a CEO that hasn’t found the courage to speak to Gerry McCulloch since December 2025.
Having a ‘leading sports lawyer’ involved in any stage of negotiations is clearly a problem.
Having him head up negotiations suggests that neither player will be appearing at Celtic any time soon.
Two weeks of pre-season training have already been missed.
Iheanacho has been training and playing with friends in Nigeria.
Saracchi is working with the bomb squad of Boca outcasts.
And still Nicholson can’t agree terms with two players that contributed greatly to last season’s double success.
After seven weeks of talks that haven’t been able to come to a conclusion most clubs would move on to alternative transfer targets.
Whether Nicholson is aware of another left back and striker is up for debate.
As CEO he has employed Mark Lawwell, Paul Tisdale and Wilfried Nancy.
God help us.
To save a couple of bob by delaying so that their agents see that we are in no big hurry to chose their players, therefore won’t accept their first offer, we do it again.
We trash our (MONs) preparations for both the spfl and the CL.
I wonder when MON gets to teach his new way of playing this season to a full first team squad- a few days after the window closes most likely.
DD and his puppets won’t change, even after MON clawed back the league with 3 minutes to go because of the board (DDs) ineptitude.
They don’t care.
They’re just money obsessed people, not football people and we will get nowhere in Europe as long as they are controlling Celtic.
Martin “I think I think I think”
What a state of the ridiculous.
Speaking to the Daily Rectum a rag with hardly any readership. This is Celtic.
It’s getting very tiresome from MON. A conversation last night from Celtic Season Ticket holders on MON was turning negative as it was mentioned he’s part time, he’s on a large, nearly BR Salary, and the tiresome “I think” and either not telling or he genuinely doesn’t know is getting towards insulting……
Cammy Devlin freebie ????
Ah well another good acquisition for free gone. That’s him a wee dick noo. : )
F off Nicholson and co. Tell them to get the finger out Martin!
Stiff as a board
Comrade Wilson was a promising youth player hoping to play for the club’s under 9’s, Nicholson is still in long protracted negotiations, but a deal looks close to being agreed subject to a medical autopsy, Brian could now play in the under 90’s side, I think.