Victor Gyökeres backs Alexander Isak amidst transfer chaos (Credits: Imago Images)
Celtic legend Paul Lambert has backed Martin O’Neill to demand the signings he needs to prevent a repeat of last season’s damaging transfer failures.
The Hoops hierarchy face mounting pressure after vowing to learn from the mistakes that led to a humiliating Champions League exit to Kairat Almaty.
Principal shareholder Dermot Desmond pledged to back O’Neill with a significant transfer budget after the Double-winning manager agreed to return for another year.
Despite those assurances, Celtic have yet to spend a single penny this summer, leaving supporters anxious about another disorganised and frustrating transfer window.
Lambert, who wore the captain’s armband under O’Neill during the manager’s iconic first spell 25 years ago, insists the boss will not quietly accept inaction from the board.
He told Record Sport: “I don’t think Celtic as a club stands still at any point. I’m pretty sure the people in the hierarchy like Michael Nicholson and Dermot won’t stand still, especially when the manager’s there. The manager won’t like that to happen again, that last season syndrome. I don’t think anybody at Celtic wants that.”
Lambert also stressed that the lessons of last season must be applied with genuine urgency, warning that complacency at any level would be dangerous for the club’s ambitions.
“I’m pretty sure everybody’s learned their lesson that you can never take your eye off the ball, you can never take your foot off the gas, you have to go and win it again,” he said.
The former Aston Villa manager drew on two decades of his own management experience to explain how conversations between O’Neill, Michael Nicholson, and Dermot Desmond would be shaping the club’s transfer strategy behind the scenes.
Lambert said: “They’ll talk and have dialogue between Martin, Michael and Dermot, I’m pretty sure. I don’t know what parameters they’ll go with but to make a mark in Europe, then they’re going to have to go a good bit anyway, that’s for sure.”
He was particularly emphatic about O’Neill’s personal determination to secure what he needs, suggesting the manager’s reputation alone makes him a formidable negotiator within any boardroom.
“If there’s any manager that will get his way, it’ll be him. That’s the beauty of him, because he’ll not take it easy if he’s not going to get it,” Lambert added.
Lambert also reflected on his five years working directly under O’Neill, describing a manager whose core character and relentless desire to win have not diminished with time.
“He won’t have changed. The only thing he’s changed is his age, but he won’t have changed the way he is as a person, and his drive to win games,” he said.
The contrast with Celtic’s rivals makes the club’s inactivity even more glaring, with Rangers having already added five new players and Hearts bringing in eight new faces ahead of the new campaign.
Celtic’s only transfer activity so far has moved entirely in one direction, with 12 departures recorded and no new arrivals yet confirmed at Celtic Park.
Lambert acknowledged the World Cup period can slow transfer business but was clear that Celtic’s bitter experience last year should drive urgency from everyone connected to the club.
“I’m pretty sure after what happened last season, I don’t think they’ll be sitting on their hands here, that’s for sure,” he said.
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