Clare Boyle, who runs the COYGIG shop, spoke to The Celtic Star about her thoughts on Sadiku. She said: “I was super excited when Elena came in. I felt Fran Alonso had taken us as far as he could and a young, exciting female manager was everything I’d been looking for.
“Elena did very well in getting us over the line to win the league that first year and no one can take away the achievement of getting into the Champions League group stages, but I challenge anyone who watched CELTIC FC Women to tell you they were enjoying the football.
Saoirse Noonan celebrates after scoring Celtic’s second goal at Ibrox. theRangers v Celtic FC Women, 14 November 2025. Photo AJ (The Celtic Star)
“Players seemed hampered by tactics rather than encourages to play to their abilities, and there was an undeniable atmosphere in the group last season – a season I think we’d all rather forget.
“I think we’d all hoped this year would be better, and it has to a point. We’re seeing flashes of what we want Celtic to be but you can’t get away from the fact that it’s been over a year since we beat any of the teams who finished ahead of us last year.
“Six wins in 29 over these teams is just not an acceptable record for a Celtic manager. The fact that we finished fourth last year is embarrassing in itself. There has to be at least an effort at showing ambition by the club, and any other manager with that record would be out long before now.
“We need change, and we need it now while there’s still a chance to salvage this season.”
Elena Sadiku at Ibrox. theRangers v Celtic FC Women, 14 November 2025. Photo AJ (The Celtic Star)
A decent percentage of supporters believed that Sadiku should have been shown the door after the team’s fourth place finish last season, and it is hard to argue otherwise.
She had the summer of 2024 to bring in the players that she wanted, and although I think that they’ve actually been good signings, there is still something wrong. If we can’t beat the other big teams, then what is the problem?
Caitlin Hayes and Elena Sakiku all smiles for the cameras on Wednesday night at Celtic Park, UEFA Champions League, Celtic v Chelsea. 13 November 2024. Photo AJ (The Celtic Star)
There was plenty of discussion online about the atmosphere among the team last season. With the mysterious disappearance of Caitlin Hayes for several matches ahead of her eventual transfer to Brighton, the discussion was pushed into the public eye as Sadiku denied any sort of disagreement, saying that the key defender was simply being rested.
After Caitlin’s departure, it was expected that a new defender would be brought in to make up for the loss of such an important player, but transfer windows came and went, and Celtic didn’t bring anyone in to replace the most crucial player at Celtic FC Women. Whether that was a managerial issue or a board issue is up for debate, but one thing is for sure: it’s not good enough.
