Michael Nicholson in ‘real trouble’ as Celtic board plan ‘sacrifice’

Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson is on very thin ice at the moment as pressure continues to build on the club hierarchy. 

That is according to former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the boardroom man is heading towards an exit at Celtic Park. 

Nicholson recently suggested that agent fees have caused major issues for the Bhoys behind the scenes this summer, as the fans continue to bemoan the lack of new signings. 

Wyness believes that Nicholson could soon be “sacrificed” and axed by the board, who have all faced significant pressure from the supporters within the last 12 months. 

Camilo Duran remains the only new addition to Martin O’Neill’s squad so far this summer, despite the club eyeing up a sizeable overhaul a matter of months ago. 

Nicholson is bearing the brunt of the fans’ frustrations at the moment, and Wyness believes that it is only a matter of time before he loses his job. 

Keith Wyness: Agent fees ‘no excuse’ for Celtic struggles

Aberdeen’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs – believes that Celtic cannot hide behind agent fees as an “excuse” for their limited transfer dealings so far this summer. 

The supporters were expecting a big summer of changes after a fierce battle for the Scottish Premiership title last term, and that simply hasn’t materialised so far. 

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why he thinks Nicholson’s position is very precarious at the moment. 

“I think he's in real trouble right now. He's obviously been backed by the board, but he is becoming the figure that I think could be sacrificed to the fan base in some way,” he said.

“To come out saying agents' fees, I'm afraid when you've got clubs like Bodo/Glimt, Bruges, Copenhagen, all shopping in the same sort of market as Celtic, if not lower than Celtic. Agent fees, I'm afraid, are part of the game, and that's just not an excuse.

“I've had to deal with them since the early 2000s, so there's no excuse right now. You just have to get on with it, and you have to make your contacts, and you have to work with agents.

“He is right in the crosshairs of the fan base, and you've got to hope he's got something up his sleeve in terms of some signings because, as I say, Celtic Park is not a happy place right now.

“Seeing the board spend some of the money they've got is what the fans have been asking for for ages.”

Celtic hit by spike in unrest after pair of failed deals

Wyness told Football Insider earlier this week that Celtic’s board “aren’t helping themselves” after another pair of proposed deals fell through. 

Kelechi Iheanacho opted to join Bursaspor despite the Bhoys putting a new contract on the table for him, while Marcelo Saracchi also confirmed that he won’t be returning permanently, despite O’Neill’s best efforts. 

Celtic had an automatic option to extend Iheanacho’s contract for a further season, but instead opted to let him leave before trying to re-sign him as a free agent. 

The Nigerian was a hugely popular figure among the fanbase, and Wyness believes that his exit has sparked “massive unrest.”