Martin O'Neill lifts Celtic lid on contract and transfer powerbrokers after two press conference stoppages
Scales and McCowan deals show the cogs are still whirring
American TV shows and movies like to utilise a trope that shows reporters learning of a breaking development right in the middle of a press conference but it rarely happens in real life.
At Celtic’s Lennoxtown training ground on Friday, though, it happened not once but twice. The first update that flashed up on social media, just as Martin O’Neill was about to take a seat, was to announce a contract extension for Liam Scales.
A few minutes later, with O’Neill in full flow as he looked ahead to the weekend’s match against Falkirk, he was interrupted with the news that Luke McCowan had also agreed to stay on until 2028. “Will there be any more of these during the press conference?” O’Neill was asked, only partially in jest. No, that would be it for now, confirmed the manager.
The decision to retain Scales and McCowan, a day after winger James Forrest also signed a new contract, is solid if unspectacular business, although, with O’Neill seemingly about to do the opposite by not extending his stay, it did have the feel of an outgoing US President issuing pardons before taking their leave of office.
This spate of contract renewals, though, did prompt a valid wider question. If O’Neill is set on walking away at the end of the season and the club is still operating without a director of football, who is actually making the decisions affecting the make-up of the playing squad for the new season and beyond?
O’Neill, as is his wont, danced diplomatically around the issue but did concede that, ultimately, it is the board of directors sanctioning these calls with some input from the manager and his coaching staff too.
“The final call would always come from the board,” O’Neill said ahead of Celtic’s Premiership match against Falkirk on Saturday. “They have to finance the things. But I'm quite sure that they would be listening to, perhaps myself, Shaun (Maloney), Mark Fotheringham, the coaching staff, and people like this here.
“And if you're attending football matches week in, week out, both home and away, as a number of the board members do, I think they would see a reason for keeping these people on. If there's certain things you could sort out immediately, like giving these guys new contracts, those are no-brainers.”
O’Neill not having influence on Celtic transfers
Where O’Neill has been less eager to give an opinion is on the pursuit of summer signings, especially players commanding reasonable transfer fees.
“Just say you're looking abroad at a player and he's going to cost a reasonable amount of money,” he offered. “I think that's where you could have a difference, particularly if I'm outgoing.
“If I thought somebody was decent but it's going to cost, let's say, €5 million, that's where the board would be quite right to say, ‘well, wait a minute, hold on, that's a different issue. Let’s not spend money on someone that a new manager may not take in’. So, if you were talking about players coming from abroad, you could put them into (a different category).”
Anyone looking at O’Neill’s continued involvement in the plans for next season and beyond and reading it as a sign that he could yet stay on as manager is barking up the wrong tree, he once more insisted.
“Well, I'm going to have to disavow them of that at this moment, all right? Honestly, I mean it. The owner has not even spoken to me about that. Not at all. Or the board. I swear to you, they've not even mentioned it.
“It really is about time for me. It's part of my life that, not having that much left of it, I would like to enjoy. Is this enjoyment? No. Is it perversely some sort of enjoyment? Only if you win.”
O’Neill claimed not to have been aware of Callum McGregor’s call for the Celtic board to match his ambition this summer or face the consequences but did concede that the emergence of Hearts as a credible third force should serve as a “clarion call” for everyone.
“I bet you this day a year ago Celtic probably would have won the league by now,” he added. “But if I look at it from a wider viewpoint, it's no bad thing. Celtic have had it all their own way for a while now. It's important that some of these teams start coming on. But it's strange in that sense that we have been trying to play catch-up the whole season or certainly during my time in it. And it does take some adjusting to.”
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