Celtic transfer news: Scottish Premiership champions struggling to compete in market, meeting notes reveal | Football News

Celtic are struggling to compete with English Championship clubs in the transfer market and deal with agents, according to minutes of a meeting between board members and fans.

Celtic have signed just one player this summer, Colombian striker Camilo Duran, the first confirmed signing since striker Kyogo Furuhashi left for Rennes 18 months ago.

The club’s ongoing difficulties in signing players led to a major disagreement with former manager Brendan Rodgers and caused a split in the fans last season.

Chairman Brian Wilson, chief executive Michael Nicholson and manager Martin O’Neill recently attended the annual general meeting of the Association of Irish Celtic Supporters Clubs in Cork, where they took part in a short question and answer session with fans.

Minutes of the meeting have appeared online and claim that O’Neill told Celtic’s board that he was “in dire need of a signing” as his team was not strong enough to compete despite the “heroes” having won twice in the previous division.

The club’s team has been asked why the club is “slow” in signing players.

The minutes state that Nicholson “advised about the difficulties of dealing with agents, competing with the Premier League and even the Championship”.

He went on to say that at the July 4 meeting, they are busy signing players whose contracts have expired.

Celtic have re-signed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain following his short-term deal last season but there is no sign of a further deal for Kelechi Iheanacho, whose goals off the bench proved key at the end of the season.

O’Neill stated that the main focus is on finding young players who can be developed, due to the difficulty of attracting experienced players to Glasgow due to the financial gap with the Premier League.

Minutes say O’Neill suggested that young players will come to Celtic to get the chance to play in European football and have the motivation and desire to focus on wages.

The document added that the board had recently signed off on a long-term strategy, the goals of which Nicholson described as the best club in Scotland, financially sound and competitive in Europe.

Celtic will host Middlesbrough in a pre-season friendly on Saturday with many supporters’ groups calling for a boycott of the game due to their ongoing demands for changes to the board.

Sutton: Celtic need to spend £50m

Chris Sutton believes Celtic may need to spend more than £50m on their squad this summer if they are to retain their Premiership title and qualify for the Champions League.

“Martin did wonders last season. I didn’t see Celtic win the title in the position he was placed in for a few times,” he said. Sky Sports News.

“I mean that the game that is coming to the end of the season was unusual, but I still think that you cannot escape the fact that there must be a big change in Celtic in terms of recruitment.

“They’ve got a very important Champions League qualifier and, although it was great for Celtic fans to finally get over the line last season, you can’t get away from the fact that Celtic have been struggling all season. So, Martin will be looking, I’m sure, to bring in players.

“It will be interesting to see who comes out of Celtic. It looks like Reo Hatate will go, maybe Daizen Maeda, Arne Engels but they are big players in the club. So, who will Celtic replace those type of players? I think Celtic will spend up to or more than £50m really because the squad needs to be rebuilt.”

Celtic began their title defense against Dundee

Celtic will begin their Scottish Premiership title defense at home to Dundee on August 3, live on Sky Sports.

This Monday night game, which kicks off at 7.30pm, will open the weekend which will see all six of the top-level games live on Sky Sports.

Click here for all of Celtic’s Premiership fixtures, including dates for the first Old Firm fixture of the season.