Chris Sutton has warned that Celtic have an enormous amount of work ahead of them this summer, with no clear plan yet visible.
The club faces a managerial appointment, key staff recruitment, and a massive squad turnover that has been building for months.
Sutton questioned why individuals are not already in place, asking: “Why on earth are we still waiting? What’s the plan?”
Martin O’Neill may have been playful at a recent awards ceremony, but Sutton believes Celtic supporters are not amused by the lack of action from the boardroom.
The club has known about its current situation for months, yet modern football continues to move fast and rivals are already making their moves.
Rangers have signed Lawrence Shankland, and Sutton stressed that deals are being made behind the scenes while Celtic are already losing ground.
Sutton acknowledged that O’Neill and his coaching staff did a “quite-remarkable job” to win the Double, but said that achievement came despite those above them, not because of them.
The manager appointment remains the number one priority, and Sutton argued that if O’Neill is the chosen candidate, it really should already be done.
Sutton stated bluntly: “You cannot seriously be telling me that the club are waiting for Martin to decide and then beginning the process of looking for a manager?”
The director of football position also remains unresolved, with Paul Tisdale long gone and no visible replacement in sight to make transfer decisions.
Celtic made what Sutton called “a monumental mess” of the last two transfer windows, with last summer described as a disaster that contributed to the unrest surrounding Brendan Rodgers.
The club failed to build on their Champions League run under Rodgers and instead “careered backwards,” falling at the Kairat Almaty stage without reaching the league phase.
January signings did nothing to help through the run-in, with none of the six mid-term arrivals starting on the final day against Hearts or in the Cup Final against Dunfermline.
Sutton said he can count at least ten current squad members who will not be at the club next season, including some key figures.
Daizen Maeda is leaving, while Arne Engels, Alistair Johnston, and Reo Hatate are all expected to attract significant interest from elsewhere.
Kyogo Furuhashi has not been replaced in 18 months, and with Maeda also heading out, Sutton said there is still no clear evidence of any Celtic plan.
The re-signings of players like Liam Scales, Hyunjun Yang, and James Forrest made sense, but Sutton stressed the major decisions are still yet to be made.
Sutton concluded that dithering has been part of the club’s make-up for too long and this summer must be the moment that changes with a new, speedy focus arriving.
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