Nicholson & Co. Being Cheap Skates Again? Swiss Second-Tier Strikers and Wage Cuts For Maloney And Fotheringham

The more things change at Celtic, the more they seem to stay exactly the same.

Cost-cutting.

ambitionless

So short-sighted that Michael Nicholson should be booking the boardroom a group appointment at Specsavers.

As yet again the people running the club seem more interested in finding another way to shave a few pounds off the wage bill.

Another Project Signing We Don’t Need

The latest name linked with Celtic is Elias Filet, with reports suggesting the club have opened talks with his representatives and are favourites to win the race for the striker.

Maybe he turns out to be a player.

Maybe he becomes a success.

But let’s be honest about what this looks like.

A striker from the Swiss second tier.

Another project.

And after years of mixed recruitment, we have every right to be sceptical… again

Another player who needs developing and who might become something.

The comparison that immediately springs to mind for me is Vakoun Issouf Bayo.

A player recruited as Moussa Dembele’s replacement.

And tragically failed.

That doesn’t mean Filet will follow the same path.

But it does raise a familiar question.

Why does Celtic always seem determined to shop at the bargain bin first?

At some point we are entitled to ask for proven quality instead of another long-term project.

Especially during one of the biggest rebuilds in modern club history.

Rewarding Success With Wage Cuts?

Then comes the second story.

And somehow it’s even more frustrating.

Reports suggest Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham have been offered reduced terms despite helping drag Celtic over the finish line last season.

If true, it is difficult to understand the logic.

These were two coaches who arrived during a difficult period.

Two coaches who helped steady the ship.

Two coaches who played a role in delivering success when the club desperately needed it.

And the reward?

A pay cut.

Seriously?

If anything, they should be receiving recognition for their contribution.

Not being asked to accept less.

The Spreadsheet Mentality

The deeper concern is what these stories say about the people running the club.

Everything increasingly feels driven by spreadsheets.

Budgets.

Margins.

Cost savings.

Financial reports.

Nobody is arguing that Celtic shouldn’t be run responsibly.

Of course they should.

But football clubs are built by people.

Managers.

Players.

Coaches.

Supporters.

Not spreadsheets.

Sometimes it feels like the board becomes so focused on balancing numbers that they forget the human side of success.

Maloney and Fotheringham aren’t lines on an accounting document.

They’re people who helped rescue a difficult season.

The Wrong Message at the Wrong Time

This summer should have been about ambition.

A new era.

A major rebuild.

A statement that Celtic are serious about improving in Europe.

Instead we’re discussing another developmental striker from the Swiss second tier and reports of wage cuts for successful coaches.

Maybe both stories prove to be more complicated than they currently appear.

Hopefully they do.

Because right now, the message being sent is not one of ambition.

It’s one of penny-pinching.