Martin O'Neill is already looking beyond Celtic's title win. Appointed on 11 June, almost three weeks after the season ended, he inherited a side that still reached the finish line strongly, but his message has been about what needs to happen next, not what has already been achieved. A Champions League play-off first leg is due on 18 or 19 August, and he wants the squad ready well before then.
O'Neill's warning to Celtic
O'Neill has been clear that the summer cannot drift. "Absolutely vital," he said of the task ahead, before adding that Celtic must augment the squad and prepare players physically and mentally for those games. He also pointed to the level around them, saying, "I think Rangers will get stronger, and Hearts won't go down without a fight, there's no question about that."
His wider concern is not hard to see. "I felt every single time that we played matches [last season] the teams were getting closer to Celtic than perhaps ever before, certainly in recent times, so those are concerns." That view sits alongside the fact that Celtic won 9 of their last 10 competitive matches and finished the league campaign with five straight wins, so the base is there. O'Neill's point is that a strong run does not remove the need to improve.
The summer gap around Celtic
The urgency also shows up in the market. Celtic are one of only two Premiership clubs, alongside Motherwell, yet to make a signing. Rangers, by contrast, have landed Lawrence Shankland and Ross McCrorie, while Hearts have already signed seven players in their squad rebuild. Those are not small differences when August is already on the horizon.
The numbers around last season tell the same story from a different angle. Celtic finished first in the Premiership and ended on 82 points, while Rangers were second on 69. O'Neill is not pretending the gap is closed, but he is not treating it as safe either. His warning is that the next title race will not wait for Celtic to catch up in the transfer market.
That is why the Champions League date matters so much. The play-off first leg comes on 18 or 19 August, which leaves a short runway for new signings to settle and for the group to adapt to a new manager's demands. O'Neill's own preference is for Celtic to keep the ball "for a purpose" and play quicker, with more dash. The club have enough time to make changes, but not enough time to waste it.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →