FALKIRK, SCOTLAND - JANUARY 14: Celtic's Callum McGregor (centre) at full time during a William Hill Premiership match between Falkirk and Celtic at The Falkirk Stadium, on January 14, 2026, in Falkirk, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Celtic fans have been here before, so they know the sinking feeling, especially around transfer windows, particularly those where we are allegedly trying to be busy. Right now, there are no signings on the horizon that any of us can see.
There are plenty of rumours and a lot of speculation, but nothing concrete for anyone to hang a hat on.
What we do have, however, are stories not just about incomings but about potential outgoings as well, and I have a serious problem with that.
I am not going to accuse Martin O’Neill of dishonesty.
But I am going to accuse the club of dishonesty if it turns out that a single Celtic first-team player is sold in this transfer window.
I do not know whether O’Neill has been captured by the system, or whether he genuinely believes what he is saying, but the idea that we should release Hatate or Maeda or anyone else because they have the World Cup on their mind strikes me as farcical.
I strongly object to the way this is being framed as anything other than a choice, because selling key players during a title race is a choice.
Looking for players to bring in purely to justify selling others is a choice.
Strengthening the squad only to deliberately weaken it again is a choice.
That is part of an ongoing strategy at Celtic, and at this moment in time it is impossible to defend, because this is a close race and we are behind in it.
I am sick and tired of Celtic playing the card that January is a difficult time to do business, while its own directors prove the opposite by selling players we cannot afford to lose. Any player wanting to leave right now should simply be told it is not happening.
They have contracts. They have to honour them.
If they want to play in the World Cup, they have to be playing well, and they have to be doing it here. For once, this club has to stop pretending that this policy is about honouring commitments made to players. Those players have also made commitments to Celtic.
Strip it right back and nobody genuinely believes that this is what it is about.
If Celtic are going to spend money, there are people at this club who seem obsessed with making sure we bring in more money at the same time, regardless of what that does to the team. If there was ever a moment to dump that idea overboard, it is now.
I suspect there are people on this Celtic board who believe that because Martin O’Neill is the salesman, this is something they can get past us. I do not care who is selling this idea. It is a bad idea. I do not care who is trying to convince us that this policy will not hold us back, because of course it will.
To win this title, we will need more than strength.
We will need strength and depth. We will need to rotate. The manager will need to take good players out and put other good players in. This is basic stuff, and it only works if there are enough good players in the Celtic squad in the first place.
With this title race wide open, there is no justification anyone will be able to offer fans if we sell a regular first-team starter. I genuinely do not care what argument they deploy, or who deploys it. It will be unacceptable. It will be an act of self-harm that nobody will be able to rationalise.
This would not simply represent a gamble, although it would.
Regardless of whether it succeeds or fails, it would amount to an insult to supporters and an insult to Martin O’Neill, whether he stands up and defends it or not. Signing players to strengthen the squad and then selling a first-team regular would cross too many lines.
It would be unacceptable at any time, but right now there is no scenario in which it would be tolerable.
Part of the reason for that is the club’s continuing perception problem, which we have discussed repeatedly.
Celtic cannot afford the perception that it is undermining O’Neill in any way.
It would be impossible to convince much of the fanbase otherwise if the club did something as egregious as this. When supporters already believe the balance sheet matters more than the team sheet, selling key players would confirm every suspicion.
What I am saying is simple. This would be unspinnable. There is no way the club could sell it on the basis that it had no choice. They have relied on that excuse too often in the past, far more times than some of us can stomach.
Everything this board does is a choice. Everything this club does is a choice.
Blocking fans at press conferences was a choice. Suspending the Green Brigade indefinitely was a choice. Hiring Wilfried Nancy was a choice. Failing to back Brendan Rodgers was a choice. Nobody forced these decisions on them.
They made them, even when alternatives existed and other paths were available.
Once upon a time they might have got away with this as well. They will not get away with it now.
Not after the summer. Not after Nancy.
It’s unthinkable after the way Rodgers was treated. It’s ludicrous to think they would do this after O’Neill came to the rescue, not once but twice.
Not while fan protests rage in the stands. Not while this title race remains so finely balanced.
There is no chance supporters will stand for it, and they should not be expected to.
Celtic plc are determined that we lose the title this year.
I.m growing more to think there is something in that accusation the more i hear it, John. Because nothing else makes sense so suspicion grows.
I can’t believe anyone would even suggest such a thing.
If that is their aim, why sack Nancy and bring in MON, would keeping the Frenchman not have guaranteed a sure fire way of losing the League?
James, you wrote: “…we are allegedly trying to be busy.” Busy doing nothing springs to mind.
The January window is that difficult it hasn’t stopped our rivals adding to their squads. And they can’t hide behind “quality” as an excuse because there are quality players available for the positions we are rumoured to be looking to fill.
They can’t hide behind any of their usual BS excuses because all the same problems they claim is preventing them in the January window exist in the summer window.
As for certain players wanting away and almost downing tools? After the Falkirk game i would have taken them into my office the very next morning and made it very clear. I would tell them, play like that again and this club will take the financial hit. And you will find yourself playing in the second team until the end of your contract.
This club, Scotland, and those fans have been good to you. So get your f@ckin finger out and GTF out of my office. Maeda in particular. His attitude has been sickening me. Especially more-so because i really like and rate him. As you said, James, he is still contracted to Celtic. That means he has a duty to give it his all while he’s still here. Including his attitude.
Sorry, Johnny, put that other comment in the wrong feckin place.
With me it’s more down to anger than 100% belief. I’ve never got this enraged before. Maybe it’s an age thing. LOL!
I agree James, that we should not be selling players for the reasons that you have given, purely to make a profit for our greedy board, but personally I wouldn’t be unhappy if we got rid of Hatate, for we are not getting a lot out of him anyway. I find him frustratingly non productive, lethargic and seemingly lacking motivation, the odd great pass does not make up for all the sloppy ones he makes, and that state of affairs has not just been recent, he has been underperforming for a while now.
I kept count at a match recently for about 20 minutes and Hatate made 2 ‘successful’ but meaningless safe backward passes and gave the ball away 4 times, once that landed us in big trouble. I don’t think this was unrepresentative.
The Board has been helping the new club for years. Why is this a surprise?
without a striker our attempt to retain the title is doomed , the board only need to hold out until the hearts game where the officials will see to it that our challenge will be over and is set up for sevco to steal it away from both us and hearts , if hearts think their gonna win this league over their hun cousins they ain’t being paying attention , it’ll be nice to see them raging after being robbed instead of us for a change , we”ll finish 3rd which should finish this toxic board and there should be a boycott of S Bs to finish the cnuts off
There should be no protests in the stands….. for one simple reason, there should be no-one in the stands. The only thing that will make a difference is the sound of silence.
I agree although we did this before in the 10iar season and it cost us so could it cost us again ?
Perhaps one scenario and one scenario only which would let us sell wantaways and win 5iar. Sell Hatate ,Diazan and Yang and use the money to buy players in who are hungry,proven winners with high quality for each of those positions + another 3 of the same level ( 2 strikers)and a couple of loans who are also high quality.
Who am I kidding! That would be far too sensible for Celtic.
“The January window is that difficult it hasn’t stopped our rivals adding to their squads.”
How many of the players signed by Hearts or the club from Ibrox during this transfer window would walk into Celtics first team?
Was MON not offered players and turned them down as not good enough? Is it not the possibility that the best players may be available towards the end of this transfer window and Martin knows this?
Nine days until probably the most important League game this season, 16 days since the window opened and no signings made. Why should we not be surprised, this board seem incapable of managing this club in a competent manner. If we lose or even draw the game against Hearts, we can forget this League.
As for selling players during this window, my opinion is that it would might be acceptable, if we made 4 decent signings and then sold a couple. Let’s face it Hatate and Maeda look like they are just giving us around 50% effort at the moment. I hate saying that, but surely both players couldn’t go off the boil so much if their hearts were really in it.
MON and his backroom staff can only do so much, this team needs reinforcements badly, but we been saying that for a year now, with absolutely no reaction from this board.
The treatment of the GB by this shower is also disgraceful, a couple of weeks ago they bent over backwards to let the Ibrox haters in, whilst banning indefinitely a group of our most enthusiastic supporters.
I have said it before but like the manager’s position, players should have been identified months ago.
I would concentrate on those European teams who walked over us both for the coaching and the talent and bring in some of them.
I think the board. either through past experiences of forking out and in their eyes wasting money for Idah (whom I liked) Engels and Nygren etc or just incompetence are frozen in the headlights. The fear of making a mistake can bring about fear of action.
They must “pee” or get off the potty to put it politely.
The dog wags the tail these days in that players rule the managers…
Can ya imagine Jock Stein, Jock Wallace, Jim McLean, Alex Ferguson, even the man with no surname “Walter” putting up with that…
Not a snowballs fuckin chance in hell !
Selling assets to recoup moneys lost due to ” not a penny more” ? Wouldn’t put it past them. Someone had to pay £17,000 a week for the CEO.
On the contrary I’d love to see the back of Maeda and particularly Hatate. They remind me of the latter days of Kyogo. Whether intentionally or not they’ve packed it it.