Martin O’Neill is a ‘no-brainer’ for Celtic – now awaiting a major rebuild

Dealing with a rebuild of such scale, it is important that Celtic do not repeat the mistakes of last season.

Incoming remained until the end of the summer window, by which time they were already out of Champions League qualification.

Michel-Ange Balikbisha was brought in for a substantial fee after weeks of negotiations and failed to make an impact.

The Celtics were left with an unbalanced squad that lacked depth, particularly in the forward area, and fans expressed anger at the board for both a lack of investment and urgency.

The play-off round of the Champions League – the stage where they were defeated by Kairat Almaty – looms large on August 18/19 this year.

It wasn’t just in the summer where Celtic’s business was flattered to deceive.

When O’Neill returned for his second interim spell following Wilfred Nancy’s sacking, he often spoke His squad needs to be supplemented In the January window.

And yet none of the players signed on loan in January featured after the split. Some were injured, others clearly not rated or trusted by O’Neill.

That trend simply cannot continue this summer and Lambert believes O’Neill will play a big part in rebuilding the squad.

“Hopefully he gets the players he wants to take the club forward,” Lambert said.

“It’s a big summer for Celtic. I think what happened last year scared them. All he did was strengthen things and I’m sure he’ll have the final say on which players come in.”

Again, forward areas will likely take priority, especially if Maeda is gone.

Celtic are yet to effectively replace Kyogo Furuhashi – who left two years ago – as their main striker, while Jotar Mane is out of action in wide areas due to long-term injuries.

Celtic’s attacking output has clearly regressed. In the 2024–25 title-winning campaign under Rodgers, they scored 112 league goals. Last term, they managed just 73.

Still, O’Neill can look back to the summer of 2000 – his first at Celtic – for inspiration.

Chris Sutton, Jus Valgaren and Alan Thompson – three hugely successful figures for the club – all signed under the Northern Irishman’s watch before Neil Lennon followed in January 2001.

A summer window that replicates that could go a long way towards rebuilding Celtic’s squad and easing any simmering unrest among the club’s fanbase.