Celtic striking legends Chris Sutton and John Hartson are calling on the Parkhead Board to fund a Ronny Deila recruitment drive to help qualification to the Champions League proper.
Sutton insists the Norwegian has earned the right to be given cash to spend in the summer, despite last Sunday’s bitter disappointment in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
And Hartson would love to see the Board really push the boat out and splash £5m on a top-quality front player that could make the difference in their Euro quest.
Both ex-players know the pressure is on Deila to deliver after the chaotic events at the start of the season when the Hoops were re-instated after being knocked out by Legia Warsaw and then crashed out to Maribor.
But they know how tough it will be, and Sutton says the building blocks have to be put in place to give Celtic a fighting chance.
He said: “I think Ronny deserves the chance to bring in players to try to get to the Champions League proper.
“On Day One of pre-season, he deserves to have the players he wants and say: ‘This is my team. This is the way we are going about it.’
“He has earned the right to do that, and the purchases of Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven would suggest that.
“It will be about re-grouping in the summer, and then there will be the massive pressure of trying to get into the Champions League.
“It’s not easy being Celtic manager in the current climate, in terms of getting players in, because they cannot compete in the same market as English clubs.
“It’s difficult and there is the same expectation from us all that Celtic will qualify for the group stages.
“The reality is that because of their budget and their inability to pay big money, it makes it harder and harder year on year.
“It’s about results and getting through. The Champions League is the be-all-and-end-all at the start of the season. They just need to get there.”
Hartson would also love to see a major name captured in the summer to excite the fans and drive the European campaign.
He said: “You would like to see Celtic go out and spend £5m. I mentioned Jermaine Defoe three years ago not now and people ridiculed me. But a player like that could have made the difference and got the goals against Maribor that take you into the group stages.
“It’s a bit of a gamble. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, the club suffers financially.
“But the supporters would love to go and see a marquee signing, a shirt-seller.”
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe