Softly-planted suggestions from board-friendly outlet blames Brendan

The implication is that he left his decision late, thereby weakening Celtic’s bargaining position.

The real question we should be asking isn’t why the manager waited – if he did at all – but
why Celtic continue to operate with a football model that places such a critical negotiation burden on him in the first place.

Let’s rewind.

If a player is finally signed after weeks of deliberation, it’s rarely a reflection of indecisiveness. More often, it’s a reflection of substandard alternatives being pushed by the recruitment department.

Perhaps the manager waited because every name that came across his desk simply wasn’t good enough. And in that context, the question is not about delay, but about the quality of scouting and decision-making that preceded the final choice.

A modern football club shouldn’t be depending on a manager to act as the final decision-maker on every transfer. The best models in football empower the manager, yes, but they don’t
burden him.

Celtic’s continued reliance on an outdated, opaque system of deal-making leaves little room for modern efficiency or accountability. And when things go wrong, the instinct is to look for someone to blame — anyone but the dealmakers.

So let’s be very clear: the responsibility for transfer fees, timing, and structuring of deals lies not with the manager, but with the club’s executive apparatus — the Director of Football (oops, don’t have one), the Head of Recruitment (does a Head of Football
Operations on a consultancy basis count?) and ultimately, the CEO and the board (Sigh).

These are the people tasked with having clear targets, structured negotiations, and contingency plans (what have I told you about giggling at the back?).

If a deal drags on or gets inflated in cost, it’s their model that has failed — not the manager’s judgment.

And Celtic fans know this. They can see when a story is planted.

When a piece like this appears online, subtly suggesting it’s all down to the gaffer, the response is usually scepticism – and rightly so.

It reeks of deflection, of narrative control.

But no amount of spin can disguise the reality that Celtic’s issues in the transfer market stem not from the dugout, but from the boardroom.

And if the same pattern is emerging this summer — if the implication is once again that the manager is delaying the signing of suitable players — then it’s time to modernise your football and hierarchical structures.

Football has moved on. Celtic must too.

Read this – The backstory to Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter

Thank you to everyone who has already pre-ordered the late David Potter’s last ever Celtic book, Celtic in the Eighties, which will be published on the fifth day of September by Celtic Star Books. The link to pre-order your copy is below…