Aiden McGeady has hit out at Celtic over their recent transfer activity, demanding to know who is actually being held responsible for the club’s recruitment shortcomings.
The former Celtic winger, who came through the club’s academy before going on to have a lengthy career across Europe and the Championship, did not hold back when asked about the Hoops’ latest attempts to strengthen their squad.
McGeady made clear he wants to see someone step up and own the failures rather than letting them slide without consequence. “Who answers for this?” was essentially the question he put to the club, pointing to a pattern of recruitment that has left fans frustrated and the squad looking thin in key areas.
It is a question plenty of Celtic supporters have been asking themselves. The club has had well-documented struggles in the transfer market, with targets slipping away, deals collapsing late, and signings failing to hit the levels expected at a club of Celtic’s stature. For McGeady, that kind of repeated failure needs a face attached to it.
The 38-year-old spent his formative years at Celtic Park before leaving for Spartak Moscow back in 2010 in a move that raised eyebrows at the time. He knows the club inside out and understands what the supporters expect, which is perhaps why his frustration carries weight beyond the usual pundit noise.
Celtic have been competing on multiple fronts, including pushing deep into European competition, and the pressure to bring in quality players has never been higher. When recruitment falls short, it does not just affect results on the pitch. It affects the club’s ability to challenge domestically and make a proper impression in Europe.
McGeady’s comments tap into a wider debate around how Celtic structure their football operations. Questions around who has the final say on transfers, how targets are identified, and why deals so often seem to fall through have been circulating among the support for some time now.
For a club the size of Celtic, with the fanbase and financial backing they have, getting recruitment wrong is not something that should just be brushed under the carpet. McGeady’s point is a simple one but it matters. Accountability has to exist somewhere in the chain, and right now it is not always clear where that is.
Whether his comments spark any kind of internal reflection at Celtic Park remains to be seen. But with the transfer window always looming and competition for top talent as fierce as ever, the pressure on the club’s recruitment team is only going to grow.
McGeady is far from alone in his thinking. Supporters forums and podcasts have been buzzing with similar frustrations for months. The difference is that when someone who actually wore the hoops and knows the environment speaks up, it tends to land a little differently.
Celtic will no doubt push back on any suggestion that their recruitment has been a failure, pointing to certain signings that have worked out well. But the overall picture, at least in McGeady’s view, is one that needs addressing honestly rather than being glossed over with corporate language and vague promises about future investment.
Somebody, he is saying, needs to stand up and take ownership. Whether that happens or not is another question entirely.