O’Neill knows there’s one player who wants regular football but won’t sanction an exit until he has coverContent cannot be displayed without consent
Martin O’Neill has been asked so much about transfers he’s seeing certain reporters in his sleep. But the Celtic boss might be able to rest a bit easier given the dream start to one of the players he has managed to get in.
O’Neill has been made to toss and turn over transfer business for much of the window but Tomas Cvancara already looks to have put to bed any concerns about his frontline.
Junior Adamu will check in from Freiburg to add a bit of muscle, while Kelechi Iheanacho might actually be more suitable as an impact sub, but the Czech loan star is already proving his worth.
Cvancara bagged the crucial opening goal in Sunday’s crucial 2-0 win against Falkirk on the back of his impressive assist at Tynecastle on his debut the previous week.
The on-loan Borussia Monchengladbach man’s movement caused the Bairns plenty of problems, as did his ability to take the ball into feet before linking with others.
Celtic have been crying out for a focal point – as well as a goal scorer – and Cvancara’s gaffer believes he could be both. O’Neill said: “I mean it was great and it was the breakthrough as well too, which was needed. And that’s nice for him and it’ll give him a really big boost of confidence. There’s parts of his game I think that obviously need tidying up, which I think he can do.
Tomas Cvancara celebrates scoring for Celtic(Image: SNS Group)
“He hasn’t played much football in recent times, so that’s two games for us. He makes the goal for us at Hearts, and I think at that stage he might have been the only player on our field who could have made that run at the time. “And he’s come in and he’s got the goal. So he’s wanting to prove himself, and I think that there’s a player there.”
Cvancara has added an edge but Celtic are still in the race because of the man in the dugout.
O’Neill has racked up eight wins and a draw in nine Premiership games across his two rescue stints in charge – with four defeats in six under Wilfried Nancy.
There wouldn’t be a title race at Parkhead without the 73-year-old’s input and the Bairns victory was another important step, especially on the back of Hearts going nine clear on Saturday night and Rangers spilling points at Easter Road.
There wasn’t much flashy against Falkirk but it was a solid victory to keep the show on the road while there’s a wait for the cavalry to arrive. O’Neill said: “Yeah, it was. I was really concerned about the game beforehand. Big exertions on Thursday evening, just wondering about the energy levels as much as anything else.
“And I think obviously, Falkirk are a really good side, a really good team. I think the manager has been fantastic, how he’s assembled the side who can play.
“Obviously, I don’t think after that you would want to have played Hearts or Rangers, but outside that there, Falkirk was not the team on Sunday I would have been wanting to play, even at home.
“But we conjured up a win, we got the two goals, and there were periods of the game where we did really well and periods where we didn’t have the ball. “But it was great to win, and I think it was an important win obviously because we have to hang in there.”
The clash was almost a sideshow though – with the transfer window taking up most of the focus. There was a brutal message from the stands, with supporters yet again chanting against the board as well as unveiling a huge banner branding directors as traitors.
That might be a bit harsh when it’s competence rather than sabotage up for debate, but, either way, the mood wasn’t exactly light.
It doesn’t help the suits that the Martin O’Neill chant has the same tune as the Sack the Board one too, and they were both interchange all afternoon.
Celtic have left it ridiculously late to bring in the reinforcements they need, but it’s better late than never.
Mvuka and Adamu will need to make similar impacts as Cvancara and defender Julian Araujo – who was a standout against the Bairns – and even a few more late moves could ease some of the anger.
O’Neill is hoping for more as well, as he promised a hectic final day of the window.
He said: “It would be nice, it would really be nice, yeah, absolutely. Just to give us a few more options in other parts of the field.
“We might, you never know, there might be something else before Monday evening at 11 o’clock. And then you won’t be able to ask me (about transfers) on Tuesday, which will be the biggest relief of all time…”
It could be a long day for some of the current Celts as well. The Hoops are resisting bids for Arne Engels but Stephen Welsh might need to have his phone handy with Celtic chasing a centre back – which would allow him to head back to Motherwell.
O’Neill said: “That’s a really good point because Welshy has done very, very well at Motherwell, and in an ideal world, he would probably want to go back. And again, I don’t really want to stop him when he’s on a really good run there at this minute.
“So that might depend on us getting someone else in as cover. We only have the three centre backs at this minute, and Welshy, you know, he wants to play.
“Obviously he’d like to play at Celtic. If I can’t guarantee that for him, then obviously he wants to play with Motherwell where he has done exceptionally well. But if we don’t get anybody else in, then that’s a case of wanting to keep him here and then just battling for a place.”
At least under O’Neill, Celtic fans still have a title dream.