Martin O'Neill: Celtic and Brendan Rodgers must share mutual ambition

Former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill says the club’s board need to share the same ambition for the team as manager Brendan Rodgers – but is confident new signings will be made this month.

The Premiership champions have brought in six new faces so far in the transfer window, including the signing of Sweden international Benjamin Nygren and the return of Scotland defender Kieran Tierney.

However, with key player Nicolas Kuhn having been sold to Como, a number of other players including left-backs Greg Taylor and Jeffrey Schupp leaving the club in the summer, and a lack of an established first team striker not having been signed after Kyogo Furuhashi was sold in January, some supporters have expressed their frustration that the club hasn’t further strengthened.

Manager Rodgers has also said he would like to have had more players in the door and stressed the need for quality if the club is to progress after winning a fourth consecutive title last year and making an impression in the Champions League.

O’Neill, who won seven major trophies as Celtic boss and led the team to the UEFA Cup final, says the board needs to be on the same page as the manager.

“It’s not as if Brendan is just arriving at the football club for his first season,” he said, while speaking at an event to promote Premier Sports’ coverage of the Scottish football season.

“He knows, and the board will know, there has to be mutual ambition at the football club.

“And I am quite sure it’s there. I am very hopeful that things will happen.”

In particular, the former manager says major shareholder Dermot Desmond has a track record of spending money to bring the right talent to the club.

O’Neill added: “Before, and this is not to sound sycophantic, my conversations with Dermot way back at that time, were that if he could afford something, or afford a player, he would do everything in his power to get him in at the club.

“That’s it.

“I’m sure Brendan has outlined some players he would like to come in. Some players came in at a time last season just when everyone thought nothing was going to happen. And it did and it worked out fine.

“Brendan has been in this position before and he will deal with it. But if he’s anything like me, he’ll be wanting the players in.”