Michael Gannon was almost breathless last night as he applied top spin to Celtic’s transfer activity.
Five ‘exciting’ signings were revealed by the club through the day with only one involving a permanent transfer.
19-year-old Joel van den Berg has been signed from PSV Eindhoven for £3.5m.
A couple of untried teenager have joined on loan from Chelsea for work experience alongside a third choice goalkeeper from the English Championship.
It doesn’t appear like a sophisticated data driven recruitment drive.
It looks like old contacts have been called in for favours to cover up the failings of the past three months which did show some signs of promise.
Two good strikers have been signed although Celtic play a system of using just one striker.
There is a glaring lack of physicality in midfield that European sides will ruthlessly exploit.
At left-back there is no cover for Kieran Tierney. If Liam Scales is out of position O’Neill’s central defensive options are very limited.
Gannon didn’t want to deal with that reality.
GANNON FOREVER ON CELTIC DUTY
Not when you are the reporter that broke the EXCUSIVE news about Celtic being in advanced talks to appoint Wilfried Nancy. Followed by three weeks of comparing the French dud to peek Pep or the next Mourinho.
Instead Gannon had good news to share with the 30,000 people that will pay £2.20 for the Daily Record today.
Everyone online knows that the Gvidas Gineitis deal failed miserably. If it was ever on.
On deadline day Celtic spent less than half the money they received for selling Johnny Kenny and Reo Hatate.
Not only has the rainy day fund been preserved but it has been topped up by over £10m in transfer fees.
Disregarding that Gannon had exciting news for Record readers to share:
Martin O’Neill RACED out of his Aberdeen post-match press conference in a bid to complete MORE transfer deals on a wild European deadline day.
The Celtic boss landed Chelsea duo Shim Mhueka and Landon Emenalo and keeper Sam Johnstone all on loan for the season plus midfield prospect Joel van den Berg on a £3.4m move from PSV.
But O’Neill legged it out of his press briefing as he faced a race against the clock to complete deals for Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitas and Feyenoord full back Jordan Lotomba.
Celtic also snapped up Oliver Sorensen on loan from Parma to make it FIVE in the door in 24 hours – with another couple potentially on the way before the Scottish transfer window closes on Thursday at 5pm.
Lotomba has signed on a season long deal. It is believed that no fee was involved.
Any club signing five players on Deadline Day have clearly had a poor transfer window.
THE CELTIC SPINNERS
Not according to Gannon, senior member of the Albufeira Four that enjoyed a few nights on the lash during Celtic’s pre-season trip to the Algarve.
It was so memorable that O’Neill mentioned it twice in his media conference following Celtic’s draw with Middlesbrough.
The lads on that jolly even came back fully briefed on the wages structure at Bursanspor.
When Kelechi Iheanacho signed for the Turkish side Celtic’s retaliation was instant.
Gannon revealed that Iheanacho demanded a mega-bucks deal of £50,000 a week from Celtic. Most references to wages at the Record mention mega-bucks. At the Herald Josh McCafferty went for a more modest £47,000 a week demand.
The Chairman of Bursanspor quickly responded, the reality is that Iheanacho is being paid around £20,000 a week.
After failing to sign Gineitas in time for the UEFA deadline Celtic’s favoured messengers will soon be sharing the hard luck and near misses of the transfer window.
Alongside the usual promise that there are funds in place to strengthen the squad in the January transfer window.
NOTE: O’Neill made a sharp exit after five minutes of his media conference when he was asked if he was confident that the Celtic squad was strong enough.
? ?????? ?????’? ??????? ???? ?
?Keith Jackson | Michael Gannon??
‘Fans calling for his head should be embarrassed!’ ?
Celtic fans have their say on manager Wilfried Nancy following the 3-0 defeat to Roma ??
? FULL SHOW ?https://t.co/fmHkC9kTJq pic.twitter.com/qlPhQdTumd
— Daily Record Sport (@Record_Sport) December 12, 2025
Groundhog year again and again and again.
this is how they will spin the Not Another Penny campaign as having little effect…..they stole the transfer surplus for the balance sheet……get them gone
Good to call this out. The fans’ money is going straight into Desmond’s pocket. There is no 100 million sitting in reserve for Celtic to use either, he’s pocketing that too. There is no interest in putting a great Celtic team on the park. It gets more and more obvious every season.
Get them out!
Gannon’s best work is in his spare room eating doughnuts drinking copious amounts of coffee and Irn Brutal to stay awake and scouring the internet to cut up and cover someone else’s work ! And even his best work is sub standard in quality .
Well what do you expect when he and other daily Record scoops are obliged to type up stories for the Daily Star Scotland as part of their order ? Reputations and standings and character goes right into the shredder .
Joe them penny pinching b******s where never going to splash the cash last night….shower of useless p****s probably high fiving and congratulations each other on a other ball of money from this transfer window……they really are dragging club down and holding us back from being the best we can be.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED- Season Tickets sold out, UEFA group stage football ensured, huge transfer surplus and wage bill cut. Nicholson is almost as happy as his mates at HMRC as they prepare for another big cheque for Corporation Tax.