Martin O'Neill insists Celtic are "making some progress" in enhancing their squad, addressing the disappointment over the failed re-signings of Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi. The Scottish champions have faced criticism from fans due to limited summer transfer activity, which some believe contributed to a poor turnout during Saturday's 1-1 pre-season friendly draw against Middlesbrough.

In that match, Camilo Duran, a striker acquired from Qarabag, netted the equalizer after David Strelec had initially put the Championship side ahead. Duran, who has scored twice in pre-season, remains the only addition to the squad thus far. O'Neill expressed optimism, stating, "We will bolster the squad. We are making some progress. We'll hopefully see a couple of new faces by the time that we kick the season off."

However, he refrained from making any guarantees, referencing Iheanacho's situation. Celtic had aimed to keep the Nigerian striker post his one-year contract, but he recently signed with Bursaspor, a newly promoted team in Turkey's second tier. O'Neill remarked, "We thought we had a deal with Iheanacho and it didn't go. It was something we thought we had sorted out."

Michael Nicholson, Celtic's chief executive, acknowledged the challenges of competing with financially robust clubs in England's top divisions for new signings. Reports indicated that Bursaspor offered Iheanacho a higher salary. O'Neill noted, "There are two sides to every particular transfer as there is to every story."

The manager also hoped to keep Saracchi, who had a successful loan from Boca Juniors. Saracchi expressed via Instagram that he and his agent "did absolutely everything within our power to make a return to Glasgow happen." O'Neill confirmed, "Saracchi's done very well at the football club and there's circumstances which seemingly it was never going to happen."

Celtic's season opener is scheduled at home against Dundee in the Premiership on 3 August.