Martin O’Neill’s two-man Celtic January signing plan revealed
Martin O’Neill is hoping to strengthen his Celtic squad with the addition of a new striker and a central defender before the end of the window.
Having already completed the loan signing of Julian Araujo this month, the interim boss is determined to fill some vital gaps in his squad this month.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, injuries to Kelechi Iheanacho and Cameron Carter-Vickers will force Celtic to be active in the transfer market, while there are concerns they still have not replaced Kyogo Furuhashi.
Football Insider first revealed in September that Celtic would not act rashly in January, and the changes in manager since then have done little to alter those plans.
However, there is a growing feeling since O’Neill‘s appointment that reinforcements are needed if they are to remain competitive in the title race.
Celtic’s January transfer plans revealed
Industry expert Mick Brown warned Football Insider on 18 December that Celtic are reluctant to spend big in January despite growing demands from the fans to invest.
However, the club are aware they must address key areas of the squad, having been prepared to help out Wilfried Nancy and now O’Neill in his place.
The addition of a new striker and centre-back are seen as vital for their progress having already fallen six points behind Hearts at the top of the league.
Speaking on the Inside Track podcast, I explained: “I don’t think the managerial change will affect Celtic’s transfer plans at all. Even if Wilfried Nancy was still in charge, they’d need signings.
“They’ve got real issues up front. Still haven’t really replaced Kyogo, who left the club last January.
“Iheanacho’s out injured, so they desperately need to bring in a new striker who can score the goals and fire them back into that title fight.
“I think Martin O’Neill would like a few other signings as well, because they’ve been hit by injuries.
“Cameron Carter-Vickers has been a huge miss so bringing in another centre back I think is something that Celtic would like to do.
“He’ll be hoping that he will get the backing from the board, who obviously have come in for bit of criticism from fans for not putting their hands in the pockets.”
Could Martin O’Neill land the permanent Celtic job?
O’Neill has taken charge until the end of the season after Celtic sacked Wilfried Nancy, but they are then expected to assess alternative targets.
This comes as Football Insider revealed on 9 January that O’Neill is unlikely to take on the Celtic job on a permanent basis despite stepping in to help the club out.
The 73-year-old remains a hugely popular figure among the fans and the squad following the success of his interim spell between Brendan Rodgers‘ and Nancy‘s tenures.
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider on 6 January that O’Neill was the only option for Celtic after Nancy’s disastrous reign.
However, he will step aside at the end of the season to allow the Hoops to pursue a more permanent and long-term successor to Rodgers and Nancy.
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