Celtic DON’T Want to Pay Him!” – Martin O’Neill Contract Theory Raises Major Celtic Questions

Former Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew believes Martin O’Neill is caught in a “standoff” with the club over his future and has suggested the Hoops boss could be entitled to a substantial payout if he is dismissed.

O’Neill admitted he would consider his position during the international break after Celtic’s 1-0 Premiership loss to Rangers completed a difficult spell of three consecutive defeats.

The Hoops had also been beaten 3-0 by Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup before suffering a 3-1 home loss to Ferencvaros in their Europa League opener.

Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson has since publicly backed O’Neill, but the 74-year-old has yet to make his intentions clear.

Mulgrew believes O’Neill may have preferred to step away after leading Celtic to a double last season but feels the contract he was handed during the summer was his reward for stabilising the club.

Speaking on The Breakdown podcast, Mulgrew said: “A lot of Celtic fans that I am meeting are saying that Martin O’Neill should have just rode off into the sunset after Celtic won the double. My take on that is, that’s fair enough, but my opinion is Martin O’Neill would have liked to have done that – like we all would – but his reward would have been a contract. A two year contract, worth X amount.

“If he just walks away and says ‘thanks’, I don’t think he is getting a penny – or he is getting very little – compared to what he is due now. If they got rid of him now it would be close to £1 million he is owed, I would imagine.

“I think the standoff now is Martin O’Neill still thinks he can do the job, and I don’t think Martin O’Neill is leaving with no money. I don’t think Celtic want to pay him. Things aren’t a disaster right now, he has only lost three games – three big games, and that is a disaster at Celtic sometimes – but if you actually take a step back he is still top of the league.

There is a still a lot that can be done this season. If there is one man that can do it. So my point is, I think he would have liked to have done that [left in the summer], but how do you know back that contract and that money regardless of what age you are?