Marc Guehi talks about Liverpool transfer rumours (Credits: Imago Images)
Colombia-born striker Camilo Duran has arrived at Celtic Park as the club’s first summer signing, costing the Hoops £6 million from Azerbaijani side Qarabag.
The weight of expectation on Duran is already considerable, given Celtic have gone 13 months without signing a replacement for their outstanding goalscorer Kyogo Furuhashi.
Whether he welcomes the comparison or not, Duran will inevitably be viewed by the support as the long-awaited heir to the Japanese striker’s throne at Parkhead.
Martin O’Neill, characteristically, dressed the situation in humour when speaking after Celtic drew with Shelbourne in a pre-season friendly in Dublin last Tuesday night.
On Duran’s arrival, O’Neill said: “I do think he’ll be a good addition. Famous last words,” before adding: “I think maybe we could do with somebody who could put the ball in the net.”
That dry aside carried real weight, translating plainly as a pointed reminder that the club’s recruitment must deliver results in the weeks ahead.
O’Neill also addressed the question of further additions, saying: “I’m hoping in the not-too-distant future, maybe in the next couple of weeks, we will have some really decent players.”
The manager later stripped it back even further, stating bluntly in Dublin: “We need a few players. It’s as simple as that.”
Celtic have a Champions League qualifier to contend with in approximately a month, which makes the slow pace of transfer activity all the more difficult to justify from a football standpoint.
O’Neill’s own contractual situation earlier in the summer did little to help matters, with it taking weeks for Celtic to renew his deal and reassemble the coaching duo of Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham.
O’Neill claims he caused uncertainty by delaying agreement of his own deal, though the sequence of events was widely interpreted differently by those watching closely from outside the club.
The manager himself had previously been brought in to stabilise Celtic after Brendan Rodgers departed mid-season, then stood aside while the club pursued Wilfried Nancy as a permanent appointment.
Just 33 days later, O’Neill was back to restore calm after Nancy brought the support to breaking point, going on to deliver what was arguably the least-expected league and cup Double in the club’s 138-year history.
Major shareholder Dermot Desmond was present at Tolka Park on Tuesday night and has invested £30 million into Celtic since 1994, recouping somewhere in the region of £7.5 million in dividends over that period.
If Arne Engels and Daizen Maeda are sold this window, as is widely expected, Celtic will have well in excess of £100 million in the bank, making the slow transfer movement harder for supporters to rationalise.
The club also lost a £40 million windfall by failing to qualify for the Champions League last term, a failure partly linked to the absence of squad investment at the relevant time.
Repeating that outcome would provoke serious unrest among a fanbase who O’Neill himself thanked for giving him a “reason to live” during an emotional address after Celtic defeated Hearts on the final day of the league season in May.
A pre-season friendly against Middlesbrough at Celtic Park on Saturday will provide an early temperature check on the mood, with supporters eager for visible signs of progress in the transfer market.
The appearance of Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Shin Yamada in the Shelbourne friendly illustrated just how stretched the available options currently look ahead of a demanding campaign.
O’Neill, for his part, has gone on record with the philosophy that will guide his approach: “You only belong where you end up being,” a line that doubles as a quiet but clear message to those above him at the club.
About the Author
