Martin O'Neill Agrees One-Year Deal To Stay As Celtic Manager After Dermot Desmond Talks

Martin O'Neill has agreed to a new one-year contract to stay on as Celtic manager, with the option of a further 12-month extension after talks with Dermot Desmond on Thursday night.

The 74-year-old’s return follows his two interim spells last season after Brendan Rodgers’ October departure and after Wilfried Nancy’s short-lived tenure, with O'Neill again taking charge in early January.

BBC

Celtic’s season culminated in a Premiership and Scottish Cup double, with O'Neill leading the club to a final-day league victory over Hearts and a 3-1 Scottish Cup win over Dunfermline at Hampden.

The BBC said O'Neill has agreed to stay on a one-year contract “with the option for a further year,” and noted Celtic have yet to officially confirm the appointment.

The Guardian framed the decision as Celtic expected to confirm O’Neill after a backlash to the prospect of Robbie Keane, who had held talks with Desmond earlier this week.

The potential appointment of Robbie Keane as Celtic manager triggered a furious backlash from supporters tied to his time managing in Israel, with the Independent describing the criticism that followed his decision to stay in Israel after the conflict in Gaza began.

North Curve Celtic posted a statement on X outlining supporter opposition and said, “Celtic supporters have a long and proud history of solidarity with the Palestinian people,” while arguing that Keane’s role at Maccabi Tel Aviv during the Gaza conflict was impossible to ignore.

BBC

The Independent added that the statement said, “For us, Robbie Keane's decision to manage Maccabi Tel Aviv during the genocide in Gaza is impossible to ignore,” and urged the Celtic board to listen and reconsider.

The Guardian reported that Keane was in charge of Maccabi Tel Aviv before switching to Hungary and Ferencvaros, from whom he resigned at the end of May, and said O’Neill sought time to consider his position after the Scottish Cup final win over Dunfermline.

Sky Sports quoted former player Gabby Agbonlahor reacting on talkSPORT Drive, saying, “So many people said, 'He won't stay on, look at his age, he's 74'.”

With O’Neill set to remain, Celtic’s immediate focus shifts to squad planning and recruitment after the club’s managerial situation was cleared, and the Scotsman said attention will now turn to the summer transfer window.

The Scotsman reported that Celtic are expected to be very active ahead of the domestic season commencing at the start of August and that they also have a Champions League play-off to navigate later that month, in which they will be seeded.

The Herald said the SPFL champions face a “huge summer rebuild” with up to 18 players heading out the door and a list of targets in place for O’Neill to sign off.

BBC coverage added that as Premiership winners, Celtic will enter the Champions League in the play-off round, the stage they lost at last term, and that the result was a Europa League berth in the league phase.

In the Celtic Way live chat, fans welcomed the clarity of O’Neill’s continuation, with Lauren saying, “A far, far smarter appointment than Keane. Now they've got to back him with whatever he needs and let's go for six.”