Celtic manager promises progress on potential incomings | OneFootball

Celtic fans voted with the feet yesterday with tens of thousands staying away from the pre-season match at Celtic Park against Middlesbrough in a protest against the club’s lack of ambition, strategy and competence across so many areas of the club, including transfer business…

A general view of swathes of empty seats as fans boycott the club ownership Celtic v Middlesbrough, Pre Season. A general view of swathes of empty seats as fans boycott the club ownership Celtic v Middlesbrough, Pre Season. 18 July 2026 Celtic Park. Photo Phil Oldham IMAGO Shutterstock

Afterwards the Celtic manager said that progress has been made on potential incomings to the club, following the failed negotiations of Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi…

Martin O’Neill spoke to the mainstream media after Celtic’s 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough in a virtually empty Celtic Park, and revealed that there has been some positive news on possible incoming transfers to the club this summer window.

Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg greets Celtic manager Martin O Neill Celtic v Middlesbrough, Pre Season Friendly, Football, Celtic Park, Glasgow, 18 July 2026 Celtic Park. Photo Phil Oldham IMAGO Shutterstock

The supporters are growing increasingly irritated and frustrated now at the lack of urgency from the club and Martin O’Neill has been let down once again regarding transfers, regardless of what the 74-year-old says to save face now in media conferences and discussions with journalists. Iheanacho and Saracchi should have been the easiest deals in the world to do, yet somehow Michael Nicholson managed to screw it up.

Quelle suprise!

The league campaign grows ever closer on the horizon and as has been stated a ridiculous amount of times now, we are nowhere near it. Sporting CP gave us a real insight into how this current season may unfold in European competition, as they delivered a cutting lesson in the levels we have to reach to become competitive on that stage once more.

Geny Catamo of Sporting CP celebrates scoring Sporting CP first goal during the Sporting CP v Celtic FC Pre-Season Friendly match at Estadio Algarve on July 14, 2026 in Faro, Portugal. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)

At this point, most fans are resigned to settling for just being able to be competitive in domestic football and retain our title, as the current executive Board are unfit for purpose.

We are lurching from one disaster to the next and it is only a matter of time before we are protesting to get rid of the grotesque narcissism that has engulfed our club from the inside out.

As the support look on in dismay, Martin O’Neill offered some crum of comfort after the Middlesbrough friendly, stating that progress had been made on possible incoming deals.

David Strelec of Middlesbrough challenged by Dane Murray of Celtic. Celtic v Middlesbrough, Pre Season Friendly, Football, Celtic Park, Glasgow, – 18 July 2026. Photo Phil Oldham

IMAGO Shutterstock

“There has been progress [but] no timeframe,” O’Neill confirmed. “There’s no point saying Monday if they come in on Wednesday instead.”

In a familiar tone of warning though, as the Celtic supporters have become accustomed to, he added: “But what you don’t want to do, as we just found out in one where we thought we had a deal with Iheanacho and it didn’t go, we actually thought it was something we’d sort out.

“I don’t want to say something is absolutely until it’s absolutely done, but progress is definitely being made,” a cautious Martin O’Neill confessed as his post-match media conference (via Celtic FC YouTube channel).

Watch Martin O’Neill’s latest media conference below and tell us your thoughts on what the Celtic manager has had to say…

Paul Gillespie

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