Martin O’Neill prevented a move away from Celtic that would have been a big win for the Hoops in the final stages of the transfer window.
O’Neill desperate for further reinforcements before transfer deadline
Twenty-five years after he was first appointed by the club, Celtic drafted in O’Neill as caretaker manager after Brendan Rodgers leaves Parkhead manager at the end of 2025. The Northern Irishman restored stability to the Hoops, but was soon disrupted by Wilfried Nancy’s reign, which was as disastrous as it was short.
Celtic have not lost in six games since O’Neill returned, winning four and drawing two in the Premiership, Europa League and Scottish Cup.
Despite the management turmoil, Celtic have signed defender Julian Araujo and striker Tomas Kvankala on loan until the end of the season, and the manager has effectively begged the board for reinforcements, with further additions still a possibility.
Celtic open contract talks with versatile star as they aim to take over Red Bull Salzburg
The Austrians have a verbal agreement with him.
Regarding departures, Celtic have announced that forward Makoto Yamada and central defender Hayato Inamura will be leaving the club on loan. Now, it appears the club, and more specifically O’Neill, have refused to let certain parts of the squad leave.
O’Neill rejects chance to double Celtic’s money
In the summer, Celtic, then under Rodgers, signed winger Sebastian Tunekuti from Hammarby for £5.5 million. The Tunisian international got off to a strong start in Glasgow, with Rodgers praising the attacker from the moment he arrived.
“He gets me excited every time he gets the ball in his hands. That’s what we desperately needed on the team. He’s come in really aggressive. He’s a really talented kid because he can go either way and not only that, but he can run backwards as well.”
“If you look at the number of runs he’s made, sometimes he doesn’t get the ball, sometimes he gets it, and sometimes he’s running away from the ball.”
Since then, Tunekti has struggled to improve his form at Celtic, scoring just three goals and making no assists in 26 games across all competitions. Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider reports that clubs are interested in the 23-year-old despite his poor form. According to Africanfoot, German side Hamburg have made two bids for Tunekti, with the second bid valued at more than £11 million.
Had Celtic accepted the second offer, it would have been double the fee they spent on Tunekti last summer, despite his form. However, O’Rourke says O’Neill has no intention of letting the forward leave and clearly feels he still has plenty of potential to exploit.
A £5.5m profit on the £11m sale would have benefited Celtic in their pursuits elsewhere. Reports have suggested a move between Celtic and Kasper Hogg, but the striker, who was in excellent form in the Champions League scoring for Bodo/Glimt against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid, currently has several suitors.
It remains to be seen whether Celtic will make any further additions before the window closes, but it is clear that they will not sell Tunekuti to fund future signings.
