Martin O’Neill tells Jim White when he plans to leave Celtic in surprise admission hours after return announced
Martin O’Neill is already contemplating his departure at Celtic just hours after he was reinstated in the dugout at Parkhead.
The 73-year-old served as the interim boss of the Bhoys prior to the arrival of Wilfried Nancy, and he oversaw an extremely successful run of games as the team notched seven wins out of eight under his guidance.
O’Neill was reinstated as interim Celtic boss following Nancy’s dismissal on Monday, as Dermot Desmond and the rest of the board finally decided to end the Frenchman’s disastrous reign.
The veteran boss will have his eyes fixed firmly on the quest to hunt down Hearts at the top of the Premiership table, but he is already putting plans in place for his exit, just hours after his return was confirmed.
Martin O’Neill plays down talk of extended stay at Celtic
O’Neill is held in extremely high regard at Celtic after his trophy-laden spell in charge between 2000 and 2005, and fans quickly took to him once again during his recent interim spell.
Supporters have been crying out for him to return to that post during Nancy’s struggles, and they have finally got their wish, with Shaun Maloney also back alongside the veteran boss as his assistant.
The duo will begin their first-team duties immediately, with O’Neill having been placed in charge until the end of the season at Parkhead.
The former Aston Villa boss did an exclusive interview with talkSPORT on Tuesday, during which he was asked by Jim White whether another successful stint would see him continue as Celtic’s permanent manager next term.
O’Neill was keen to play down that idea, and hinted that he has no intention of staying beyond the end of his current assignment.
“I can’t see that for a start,” the new Bhoys boss said during the interview.
“I genuinely don’t know whether I’d have the energy and all that type of stuff. I’ll just put everything into it now for these few months.
“The same applies to me (as it did to Nancy), if I don’t win football matches, then I’ll be straight under pressure.”
O’Neill admits he will be going ‘all out’ for January transfers
The quality of Celtic’s squad has been heavily criticised in recent weeks, and that is something that O’Neill is desperate to address during the January window.
White asked him whether he was keen to bring in new faces to add to the options already at the club, and the Northern Irishman responded with overwhelming clarity.
“We have to supplement the squad in some capacity,” O’Neill continued.
“We have to do that if at all possible; we all know that January windows are difficult. It’s difficult to get the players that you want into the football club. We do need to supplement it, and we’re going all out to do that.”
Celtic have already completed the signing of Bournemouth right-back Julian Araujo until the end of the season, and O’Neill clearly has a strong desire to follow that up with several more incomings.
He will need to work with the Celtic board in order to get what he wants, but the level of trust that he carries from the fans could be a crucial factor in the hierarchy sanctioning the deals he wants.