Celtic receive transfer confirmation from Martin O'Neill

Cameron Smith

8 Jan 2026 11:01 GMT
4 min read

Martin O’Neill has urged the Celtic hierarchy to dip into the January transfer market following his re-appointment as interim boss.

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The 73-year-old enjoyed a stellar temporary spell in late 2025, winning seven of his eight matches in charge, and he officially returned to the Celtic Park dugout on Monday after the sacking of Wilfried Nancy.

Nancy endured a torrid 33-day spell as Hoops head coach and O’Neill has been reinstated as the club’s caretaker boss for the remainder of the 2025-26 season as they look to close the deficit to Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts.

The Bhoys were linked with a number of players ahead of the January window, but several of their transfer targets were identified when Nancy was in charge, including Columbus Crew duo Wessam Abou Ali and Diego Rossi.

As a result, they will have been required to pivot their transfer strategy since Nancy’s sacking and O’Neill has now confirmed that he wants the club to sanction several mid-season signings.

© IMAGO - Martin O'Neill has returned to Celtic as interim boss

Celtic receive transfer confirmation message from Martin O’Neill

“Absolutely no question about that. We need the players in and as quickly as possible,” O’Neill told reporters following his return to the club (via BBC Sport).

“I would be hoping for it [to be busy] - but if the board were to listen to me then we would have about 56 players. It's a difficult window in terms of buying players.”

He added: “It is Celtic and you have to fight back after adversity. I would've assumed that you would want to try and close the gap.

“Rangers have closed up alongside us. We've got a battle on our hands. It is a difficult task for us. We've still got 18 [league] games left.

“Whatever system we do decide to go with, just let's not have any excuses. Let's try and win.”

O’Neill’s first game back at Celtic will come at home to Dundee United on Saturday, before the Hoops travel to Falkirk next Wednesday.

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