Andy Halliday is not the issue here, but the story around Celtic is the same one that keeps hanging over the club: Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham are still being negotiated over as Martin O’Neill’s backroom staff. The delay centers on a reported significant wage cut, and it leaves Celtic with staffing unresolved and no concrete boost to the squad before pre-season begins in two weeks.
Shaun Maloney at Celtic
Stephen McGowan reported in the Herald that Celtic have been having issues finalizing permanent deals for Maloney and Fotheringham to join O’Neill at the helm. That is the core of the problem: the club wants them in place, but the contract terms have not been settled.
Dermot Desmond was reportedly disgusted that the pair felt they could say no to his offer. The reported gap is not framed as a minor adjustment. It is a cut large enough to slow the talks and keep the backroom setup in limbo while the club waits for an answer.
Dermot Desmond and the wage cut
The dispute also fits the wider criticism around Celtic’s recruitment and staffing approach. The club has had no concrete interest in players needed to bolster the squad, and there has been no positive news since the final whistle at Hampden. That leaves the backroom negotiations carrying more weight than they should at this stage.
The detail that the offer involved a significant wage cut matters because it shows how the talks have been structured: this is not a simple yes-or-no appointment, but a deal being narrowed by money before anyone can move on to the football side. In a period when Celtic should be tidying up their management setup, the club is instead still haggling over how much it will cost to do it.
Martin O’Neill’s backroom staff
O’Neill’s staff is the immediate focus, with Maloney and Fotheringham still at the center of the talks. The practical consequence is plain enough: until those contracts are settled, Celtic’s summer planning stays unfinished, and the club enters the build-up to pre-season without the structure it wants around the manager.
The unanswered piece is simple. Whether Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham will accept the reported terms now decides how quickly Celtic can stop talking about cuts and start acting like the summer work is under control.
