(Credit: Imago)

Ciaran Morrison

Sun 31 May 2026 19:42, UK

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Chris Sutton has questioned the Celtic board for not yet replacing former head of football operations Paul Tisdale.

Tisdale left Celtic in January when manager Wilfried Nancy was sacked, as the 53-year-old was pivotal in bringing the Frenchman to Glasgow.

His position has since been left vacant, and there has been little movement regarding who will be replacing him and when.

Martin O’Neill has been tipped to move into the role, but the 74-year-old could yet stay on as Celtic manager for another season after guiding them to the double.

Celtic face a rebuild of their squad this summer, and the club need to make key appointments soon in order to fulfil their plans.

Celtic ‘losing ground’ due to lack of action

Celtic fans were left frustrated at the lack of transfer activity last summer, which has led to protests and calls for board members to resign over the past year.

As per the Daily Record, Sutton believes the Celtic board may only be making the fans more angry by their supposed lack of action and lack of communication in what they’re doing to replace Tisdale.

Sutton commented: “Paul Tisdale is long gone. What’s happening with the job he vacated? Clubs are already making moves. Rangers have signed Lawrence Shankland.

“Deals are behind made behind the scenes and Celtic are losing ground already. That’s an unpalatable situation for fans after the goings-on of the past 12 to 18 months in the transfer market.”

Celtic also have six players on loan from this season, and three players out of contract, whose futures need to be decided.

Celtic handed warning by former club CEO

Former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness told Football Insider that Celtic will struggle to sign players without a new manager.

The Hoops are looking to strengthen in a number of positions this summer, and most importantly in attack.

Celtic have been keen to tie players down to new contracts in recent weeks, with Liam Scales, Luke McCowan and Yang Hyun-jun having all committed their futures to the club.

Fans though feel that Celtic have gone backwards in the past season, and ambition is needed in the transfer market in order to make a mark on European football, as well as fend off the competition from Rangers and Hearts domestically.