Dermot Desmond told to accept Celtic takeover offer by ex-SPL chief
Dermot Desmond needs to consider selling Celtic after the scenes that followed their Glasgow derby defeat to Rangers.
That is according to ex-Aberdeen, Aston Villa, and Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who states that the Celtic board “are not fit for purpose.”
Celtic’s 3-1 defeat to Rangers was followed by the sacking of manager Wilfried Nancy after just 33 days in charge.
Head of Football Operations, Paul Tisdale was also sacked by Celtic for his part in appointing Nancy, with Martin O’Neill back in Glasgow for a second interim spell.
Celtic face ‘massive decision’
Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – says there were “vicious” scenes outside Celtic Park following their loss to Rangers.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks Desmond must think about selling Celtic to new ownership.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “It’s a pressure cooker to bring Wilfred Nancy across from an area where he was given time. And as we’ve just seen, I’m afraid 33 days, you get no time.
“But to misunderstand that and to misplace the whole idea and then get it wrong with Martin O’Neill, and why not let Martin O’Neill take those last two games against Hearts and in the Cup final before Nancy came in. Another huge, huge wrong decision. It’s just a massive decision right now that they’ve got wrong.
“And at a time, when the fan base is really, you know, there’s a revolution going on at Celtic right now. I saw after the game at the weekend, the fans outside Celtic Park, and they were there for hours and, you know, chanting about putting the board up against the wall, vicious stuff. And to get this decision wrong just gives the ammunition to the fans that the board is now, you know, too old and stale.
“Peter Lawwell has had to step down. But Dermot Desmond has seriously got to consider selling. And I think that Celtic have seen a renaissance before when they sold, when they were in trouble before, back in the old days. But they’ve now got to think about doing it again because this decision, getting this wrong in Scotland, shows me that they are not fit for purpose in terms of understanding this going forward.”
Celtic star could leave Parkhead
Celtic could be set to sign Niko Sigur as their second January addition, who can play in midfield or at right-back.
Following the loan signing of Julian Araujo from Bournemouth until the end of the campaign, Antony Ralston’s time at Celtic could be over.
O’Neill has talked about Celtic wanting to bolster their squad in January, with the Hoops behind Rangers and Hearts in the Scottish Premiership title race.