Martin O'Neill has clearly outlined his next Celtic transfer priority after snapping up Kasper Hogh on a big-money deal. Celtic spent £11million plus add-ons to sign the Danish frontman, and the signing should conclude the club's striker signing following the signing of Camilo Duran earlier in the window.
The Bhoys have plenty of work to do in other areas, though, with O'Neill's squad having plenty of gaps as things stand. Daizen Maeda has left for Ipswich Town on a £10million deal, while Arne Engels and Reo Hatate are also expected to leave this summer.
That quality needs replacing, and O'Neill is well aware of that,
O'Neill wants more 'quality' at Celtic
Speaking to Sky Sports, Celtic boss O'Neill has said: “We are trying to get quality into the football club.
“We lost Daizen [Maeda], and he was a big, big player for us, and so we have to replace him. I think that we are doing our best to do that. We will get more players in; there’s no question of that, also. But yeah, I want quality rather than quantity.”
Unfortunately for O'Neill, he needs both as things stand. Celtic are short of players in a number of areas, needing a starting goalkeeper, left-back, two midfielders and a winger as a minimum, keeping in mind the season starts on Monday for the Bhoys.
There is a lot of work to do, and Celtic should have started addressing their squad early in the summer. The lack of proactivity could end up costing the Bhoys, potentially leading to another disappointing start to the season.
The poor recruitment strategy has certainly made things more difficult for O'Neill, but by the same token, if the Bhoys can get through until the end of the month and wind up landing all of their targets, then this summer's tribulations will quickly be forgotten, at least until next summer when the same issues likely arise again.
O'Neill seems relaxed, and he has put up with a lot this summer, but that may also be because he still has the likes of Engels and Hatate. If those players leave before they are replaced, O'Neill's resting heart rate might rise a little.
The defining factor could be the Champions League play-off ties. Qualification for the Champions League will have the Bhoys fans feeling a lot better about this season, but failure to qualify again this summer will see tensions rise at Parkhead.
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