Celtic’s summer transfer window has been branded a disaster, but the problems at Parkhead run deeper than missed signings.
While Brendan Rodgers has been left to face a new season short of striking options after failed moves for Kasper Dolberg, David Datro Fofana and Adam Idah’s switch to Swansea, the club has also been operating without a Commercial Director for almost a year.
Eleven months later, Celtic have yet to appoint a successor, leaving one of the club’s most important positions vacant at a time when financial strength is vital.
Well done Suzanne Mulvey hat trick hero and player of the match. Award presented by Commercial Director Adrian Filby pic.twitter.com/8fEkmYK5H1
— Celtic FC Women (@CelticFCWomen) March 13, 2016
On the pitch, the lack of reinforcements has left Rodgers frustrated. A window that began with hopes of European-level recruitment ended in embarrassment, with targets rejecting Celtic for Ajax and even Charlton Athletic.
Off the pitch, the absence of a Commercial Director means there is no permanent figure driving the club’s sponsorship, merchandise and partnership strategies as the Adidas deal enters its final stretch.
It is a situation that raises serious questions of leadership. The Commercial Director role is a key part of any major football club’s structure, sitting just beneath the CEO and responsible for generating the revenues that fund player recruitment.
To go almost a year without filling the post is as telling as the failure to land top-level players.
For supporters, the two issues are connected. A club that cannot close sponsorship deals with the same sharpness as before, and cannot get transfers over the line when it matters most, looks rudderless.
The summer of 2025 will be remembered not only for one of the weakest transfer windows in recent memory but also for exposing the gaps in Celtic’s off-field leadership.
