Martin O’Neill has warned that Celtic are facing a major squad overhaul during the summer transfer window…
O’Neill expects significant movement at Celtic Park, with a number of players likely to depart as the club prepares for a huge rebuild.
Several loanees are set to return to their parent clubs, while players such as Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels could be sold to help finance the rebuild. Fringe players – including Maik Nawrocki, Luis Palma and Johnny Kenny – are also due back for pre-season training at Lennoxtown, adding to the likelihood of a clear-out.
O’Neill – who is anticipated to step away from his current role – admitted he had underestimated the scale of the changes needed.
Spirit of ’86 – Celtic team’s welcome to Paradise. Saturday 25 April 2026. Celtic v Falkirk. Scottish Premiership. Photo Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou
Speaking via Daily Record, O’Neill said: “To bring new people in, you’ll have to. Absolutely. You couldn’t cope with that. You couldn’t cope. And that might not be the easiest thing in the world.
“Of course we’ve got some players here that other teams in big leagues will probably want. And that’s something to consider. But if you’re talking about players coming back from loans and stuff like this here, who maybe have another two years to run, those things might be difficult.
“So it is, yeah. I suppose the last thing that those players want to do is having been out on loan, then going back out on loan again. Either they want something permanent or they want to feel as if they could do the job here.
“The answer is I haven’t seen those players. So I should really be looking at what they can do. But I honestly haven’t at the time at this minute.”
O’Neill also confirmed, as reported on The Celtic Star earlier this morning, that Daizen Maeda rejected a contract extension back in August and reiterated that Wolfsburg were interested in signing the Japanese forward in the summer window.
Daizen Maeda opens the scoring during Celtic’s 6-2 Scottish Cup semi-final win over St Mirren at Hampden on Sunday 19 April 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou
The Celtic manager indicated that unless the Daizen Maeda puts pen to paper on a new deal this summer, he may move on to help fund the significant squad rebuild at Celtic this summer. O’Neill was asked about the possibility of a new contract being agree with the Japanese talisman.
He’s got one more year,” Martin O’Neill pointed out via The Herald. “That would be something [new contract]the club, and he would have to be talking about.
“If he didn’t want to stay any longer, then that would be a choice for the football club to try and sell him with a year left to run. I just assume that would be the normal thing.
Daizen Maeda celebrates during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on April 25, 2026. (Photo by Zak Mauger/Getty Images)
“But he’s come back to a bit of form, which is great. And I’ll look short-term at this minute and see how he can cope with the next five games.”
“I think there were contract talks with him… was it last August time or was it the time before that? I do know that there were talks and there was a contract in front of him, which he didn’t sign at the time,” Martin O’Neill said.
“I don’t know the position now. Wolfsburg were coming in for him and it didn’t materialise. I think obviously he became a bit despondent because it was a chance for him to play in the Bundesliga.
“So that didn’t happen. Maybe his head was all over the place for a while, but he has certainly settled down. “But in terms of what’s happening in the future, I don’t know.”
Conor Spence
Daizen Maeda celebrates during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on April 25, 2026. (Photo by Zak Mauger/Getty Images)
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We have known all season, that a massive rebuilding, of our squad was in the offering this summer. Possibly even bigger than what Ange inherited imo?
The injury factors has badly effected ourselves this season, but the more concerning matter was the massive drop off in standards regarding so many, that we depended upon in past seasons.
The likes of kasper, Hatate, Paulo, Ralston, haven’t contributed much, if anything at all. Even Maeda has only recently started to show his talents, along with calmac and Engels nowhere near there own capabilities either imo.
Overall it has meant that our core group within our squad hasn’t been able to function properly whatsoever. Hence the scale of the rebuilding process with potentially a massive reduction in core group squad players now available to any new manager imo?
Things have hardly been helped by the amount of incoming new players unable to make much, but moreso no impact whatsoever within our squad demands. Hence the biggest focus has been placed upon that element within our squad building process.
At present within the current guessing game, i would put ourselves at as low as 12 to 13 players who would fill the 25man European squad that is required for ourselves. That’s only with a degree of confidence, and including the likes of AJ, CCV and Jota. Maybe that number grows but way too much uncertainty surrounding so many players at this stage of proceedings.
Would like to think that more youngsters from within, are given a better opportunity next season, especially as our overseas development programme is becoming worse by each passing season, in that regards to bolster squad depth, which is becoming a factor also within the growing footballing calendar, and the demands involved these days.
So yes the overall process of the squad building process involved, was a failure, hardly helped by the impact of so many injuries to key players, along with the drop off of playing standards. Hence not getting a season that would have been planned for. Sabotaged has been mentioned on many occasions, not so convinced myself, more of a season with drastic decision making within it imo?
Couldn’t care less about the blame game involved, as way to many unknowns within the decision making process that has been taken to such a bad effect upon ourselves?
Regardless, any new manager is going to inherit a massive mess, that has to be resolved very quickly. The changes of ourselves even getting to and becoming a respected CL team, is possibly a longshot for ourselves to achieve, with the current situation as it stands, especially without a strong core group of players currently in place?
So any new manager is going to have to pull out some rabbits out of his hat, because they are desperately required now, in order to get back to where we should be aiming for, and that’s a respected CL team imo?
But would be amazed if that’s achieved in just this summer period we are facing.
The bare bones of it is that regardless of potential big sales for the likes of Daizen or Engels, the new boss will not be handed a large cheque and will need to rely on retaining the services of several existing squad members and returning loanees, sub-optimal or not.
The single biggest change that needs to happen with the new manager at the helm is a complete enhancement and reboot of the recruitment system. Doing that could at least provide better signings going forward.
Above all this is the willingness of the Board, and the absent moustached dictator, to act decisive, supportive, and think big for once.
We can only dream.