“It was an important win,” Martin O’Neill. “We have to hang in there”

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·1. Februar 2026

“It was an important win,” Martin O’Neill. “We have to hang in there”

Martin O’Neill spoke to the media at Celtic Park this afternoon after Celtic’s 2-0 over Falkirk that saw the Champions move from third to second in the Scottish Premiership as theRangers dropped two points at Easter Road…

Benjamin Nygren of Celtic celebrates after he scores his team’s second goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on February 01, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: How was that Martin?

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Martin O’Neill: “I was really concerned about the game beforehand, big exertions on Thursday evening, just wondering about the energy levels as much as anything else, and I think obviously Falkirk, really good side, really good team, believe it or not I think the manager has been fantastic. He’s assembled a side who can play and obviously I don’t think after Thursday you would have wanted to play at Hearts or (the)Rangers but outside that Falkirk was not the team on Sunday I would have been wanting to play even at home.

“But we conjured up a win, we got the two goals and there were periods of the game where we did really well and there were periods where we didn’t have the ball but it was great to win and I think it was an important win obviously because we have to hang in there.”

Tomas Cvancara of Celtic scores the opening goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on February 01, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: That’s an important goal for Tomas Cvancara too Martin, to be able to come in and settle in?

Martin O’Neill: “Absolutely, it was great, and it was the breakthrough as well, which was needed. That’s nice for him and it will give him a really big boost of confidence. There are parts of his game I think that obviously need tidying up, which I think he can do. He hasn’t played much football in recent times, so that’s two games for us.

“He makes the goal for us at Hearts, and I think at that stage he might have been the only player in our field who could have made that run at the time, and he’s come in and he’s got the goal. So he wants to prove himself, and I think there’s a player there.”

Q: It would appear you’re very close to landing two players in Joel Mvuka and Junior Adamu?

Martin O’Neill: “I think they’ve either done their medicals or are about to do them so that helps us a little bit as much as anything else. You never know, there might be something else before Monday evening. Is it 11 o’clock? Monday evening, and then he won’t be able to ask me on Tuesday which will be the biggest relief of all time. But it’s always been the same so it’s not a problem.”

Q: How do you see those players, how would you review these players?

Martin O’Neill: “The first thing, we have Kelechi Iheanacho, who’s a very fine player and can hold the ball up I think. He’s played very, very little, but I think he can make an impact, he might not last the games and things like this. So we definitely needed someone strong in there, I think Adamu can do that. I think there’s a little bit of pace with the young lad from Lorient, Mvuka. I think that it’ll give us a couple of options as much as anything else.

“The players, I think they deserve it. I think their efforts have been really, really big and I think you saw today for the number of games there’s just no respite for us and as a consequence players wouldn’t naturally feel tired. So this will help supplement the squad as I said, and there might be, hopefully, there’s a possibility of other things happening between now and tomorrow at 11 o’clock.”

Arne Engels of Celtic vies with Leon McCann of Falkirk during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on February 01, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: There have been reports of interest in Arne Engels from your former club Nottingham Forest, is he certainly a player you want to keep here?

Martin O’Neill: “Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. I didn’t hear that but I would, yeah, no question about it. There are one or two of the lads here who have not played much football and I can understand frustrations of that there.

“I know that and if we can get some people in, I don’t mind some players maybe going on loan or something I guess, who haven’t played and desperately want to play and it’s alright having a cause here like anything else. If you’re not playing there’s a natural frustration for it so we’ll see what develops, but obviously I’m not talking about Arne, I’m just talking in general but if nothing does develop over the next 24 hours then I really would rather keep the players because we will need them. They might not see that at this minute, but if we stay in competitions, if we do, and that’s a big if, then we will need them.”

Q: Talking about those two players you say have had or are having medicals, how crucial do you think it is that you try and do an extra bit of business on top of that?

Martin O’Neill: “It would be nice, it would really, really be nice, yeah, absolutely, just to give us a few more options in other parts of the field.”

Q: Any specific parts of the field that you can tell us what you would be looking at?

Martin O’Neill: “Well if they’re kind of up front, there are only two others, so you can make your mind up.”

Q: 50-50 which one would it be?

Martin O’Neill: “Oh well, go, you have a guess, because I’m guessing, you know.

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill is seen during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on February 01, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Does the lad from Lorient suggest that the two players we mentioned on Thursday, are those two still alive or have those been left aside now?

Martin O’Neill: Who?

Q: Ghedjemes and Redzic, are they still alive or are they now moving on?

Martin O’Neill: “I’m dying to see you on Tuesday. I am really, honestly. I didn’t think that that, my comments, oh sorry, I didn’t honestly, I wouldn’t have said it, I promise you, it was meant light-heartedly. So no, we think that we’re still fighting for something else.”

Stephen Welsh of Celtic arrives prior to the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on February 01, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: In terms of central defence, is that a possibility or is it going to be Stephen Welsh?

Martin O’Neill: “That’s a really good point because Welsh has done very, very well at Motherwell and in an ideal world, he would probably want to go back. Again, I don’t really want to stop him when he’s on a really good run there at this minute. So that might depend on us getting someone else in as cover.

“We have the three centre-backs at this minute, and he wants to play, obviously he’d like to play at Celtic. If I can’t guarantee that for him, then he wants to play at Motherwell, where he’s done exceptionally well. But if we don’t get anybody else in, then that’s the case of wanting to keep him here and then just battling for a place.”

Q: Have you had any kind of assurance, Martin, from the board that, bordering anything stupid, that they’re going to rebuff any bid that would come in for someone?

Martin O’Neill: “Right, okay. Well, we haven’t had a bid. Who are you thinking about in particular?”

Arne Engels of Celtic vies with Leon McCann of Falkirk during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on February 01, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: There was a claim that they have actually put a bid in for Arne Engels?

Martin O’Neill: “Honestly, I’m telling you, I didn’t know a thing about it. If they’d done it, then they must have done it during the game. No, no, no, seriously. No, seriously, because I didn’t know a thing about it. And I’d want it rebuffed, unless it was £100 million. And then I think the board would step in then.”

Watch Martin’s post-match media conference below…

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