Celtic won the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup last season after legendary manager Martin O’Neill returned to the club.
O’Neill extended his contract and led the club into this season with high expectations after last season’s success, which also booked their spot in the Europa League.
In the summer, the club signed Camilo Duran, Kasper Hogh, Haissem Hassan, Mika Baur, Jordan Lotomba, and Joel van den Berg to add more depth to the team.
But in the past few weeks, Celtic have been unable to perform at the highest level, and the pressure is building on them to deliver on expectations.
Before the international break, Celtic lost twice to arch-rivals Rangers, and they also suffered a defeat against Ferencvaros in the Europa League.
Some believe O’Neill could leave, and there have been instances where players have failed to replicate his strategies on the pitch.
Celtic are on the lookout for free agents to bolster their squad, despite making several high-profile signings in the summer.
This is viewed by the fans and supporters as poor planning from the club, and it has been suggested that Ross Desmond has become heavily involved in Celtic’s transfer strategies.
Desmond is the son of Celtic’s principal shareholder, Dermot Desmond. But he does not hold any official executive, directorial, or board position at Celtic.
With the club struggling to be consistent in European competitions, despite huge success in the Scottish League and Cup, questions have been raised surrounding the club’s inability to deliver on expectations.
Celtic is a giant in Scottish football, and a club like them looking into the free agent market shows the lack of planning and how the transfer market has changed over the years.
The Bhoys’ recruitment has been questioned this summer, as the club have made several last-minute panic buys, late loan deals, and the inability to keep hold of their important players.
Besides that, it also shows that the club have fallen off a cliff in terms of attracting players to Parkhead, and the only option left for them is to dip their toes in the free agent market, which does not give confidence to the supporters.
Currently, the Glasgow outfit are looking to bring in experienced free agents in the coming weeks to stabilise the club and get them back to winning ways.
One of the names that has been heavily linked with Celtic is French midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, who last played for Greek side PAOK in 2025.
Bakayoko has experience playing in Europe, as he has featured for elite clubs such as Monaco, Chelsea, AC Milan, and Napoli.
The 32-year-old has been training with the club over the last couple of weeks, but manager O’Neill has lifted the lid after speculation was made over a potential transfer, according to the Glasgow Times.
Besides that, Celtic were also linked with 19-year-old Perth Red Star custodian Sonny Inzalaco, but O’Neill has downplayed that move as well.
Celtic have had success signing experienced free agents, as they have brought in the likes of Kasper Schmeichel, Kelechi Ihenacho, Kieran Teinny, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the past transfer windows.
It remains to be seen whether Celtic will sign free agents in the coming weeks, as O’Neill has hinted that the club might wait until the winter transfer window to sign new players.
