Former Celtic star Paul Lambert has provided cause reason for optimism amid a frustrating summer for Hoops fans so far.
Coming into this summer, there was a clear awareness from everyone connected to the club that recruitment had to be more efficient this summer. But weeks after the end of the season, and with pre-season having started, no new signings have been made at this point.
There is real concern that Celtic will now have their squad prepared for the start of the season at the end of this month, and indeed for the Champions League qualifiers, which begin a few days later, on August 3 or thereabouts.
The summer window doesn't end until the end of August, but Martin O'Neill is going to want to have the majority of his squad in place, and he knows he is likely to lose a couple of star men like Arne Engels and Daizen Maeda.
Lambert has faith in O'Neill
Speaking to the Daily Record, former Hoop Lambert highlighted the recruitment concern, but he believes O'Neill is not going to stand for anything less than the right recruitment over the coming weeks.
“I don’t know what parameters they’ll go with but to make a mark in Europe, then they’re going to have to go a good bit anyway, that’s for sure," said Lambert.
“Domestically is so important for them but if you can get into the Champions League, you don’t want to be getting into that with one arm tied behind your back. If there’s any manager that will get his way, it’ll be him.
"That’s the beauty of him, because he’ll not take it easy if he’s not going to get it. So I think you’ll have good dialogue and that’s why I think Celtic won’t make the same mistake again,”
Can O'Neill really get his way?
O'Neill certainly has the credibility at the club to get his way, but you do wonder whether this board is ambivalent to managers and what they ask for when it comes to spending.
After all, they left Brendan Rodgers short last summer, and Rodgers has an enormous amount of credibility with the club, while he also has a big enough reputation in the game to be able to go to the board and say "sort this out or I'm leaving."
O'Neill has the clout, but are we really convinced that will be enough for the board to change their ways? It seems unlikely, especially given the veteran boss is on a one-year deal. The best hope is likely that the board's plan is not as bad as feared, and that they do get things done over the coming weeks.
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