Sky Sports recently reported that Celtic are set to confirm the permanent appointment of Martin O'Neill on an initial 12-month contract in the coming weeks.

The Northern Irish boss has been in the dugout since he took over as an interim manager in January after Wilfried Nancy's unfortunate spell in charge of the club.

O'Neill, who won the Scottish Premiership title and the SFA Cup this season, will now have the opportunity to have a full summer transfer window to build the squad that he wants at Parkhead.

The Hoops had to wait until the final day of the campaign to seal the title with a win over Hearts, and the Scottish giants may want to make several changes to their best starting line-up before the opening day of the 2026/27 season.

The goalkeeper and defence

When building his dream XI this summer, O'Neill will first need to sign a new goalkeeper to replace Kasper Schmeichel, who has officially retired from professional football.

Celtic were recently linked with a £2m move to sign Go Ahead Eagles goalkeeper Jari De Busser, who could arrive as an upgrade on Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo.

The Belgian star prevented 10.00 xG with his shot-stopping in the Eredivisie this season, whilst both of O'Neill's goalkeepers conceded more than expected, suggesting that he would be a significant upgrade for the club between the sticks.

In terms of the back four, keeping their key players fit is more important than making new signings. Alistair Johnston and Cameron Carter-Vickers only started 13 times in the Premiership combined, and they have been serial winners as a right-sided defensive pairing over the years.

Keeping them fit could be better than any new signing at centre-back or right-back because they are proven performers who have both won several titles as regular starters.

The midfield

In the middle of the park, O'Neill could need to replace Arne Engels because the Belgium international has been linked with a £25m move to Premier League side Nottingham Forest.

His replacement could come in the form of Moroccan star Sofiane El-Faouzi. The Schalke midfielder is a reported target for Celtic and is valued at £10m by the Bundesliga side.

Their respective statistics at league level in the 2025/26 campaign suggest that the Scottish giants would hit the jackpot by selling Engels for £25m and signing the 23-year-old ace for £10m, as he offered far more to his team defensively and offensively.

That could be the only change to the favoured midfield three for O'Neill because Callum McGregor, as the captain, should remain a starter, and Benjamin Nygren earned his spot with 21 goals this term.

Whilst the Premiership champions have a consistent supply of goals from the Sweden international in the number ten role, they also need to add more of a threat to their attack.

The attack

Hyun-jun Yang may be the only player who keeps his place as a regular starter from this season's front three, after he scored eight goals in 28 starts in the league this season.

Daizen Maeda has one year left on his contract at Parkhead and has been linked with a move away, which could open up a spot on the left wing for a new signing to come in.

Motherwell star Elijah Just, who can play on the left or the right flank, is a reported target for the Hoops, and he could fill that spot on the flank, after a return of seven goals and seven assists in 35 Premiership matches.

The New Zealand international scored five more goals and created five more goals than Sebastien Tounekti did for Celtic, suggesting that he would be an upgrade on the Tunisian for the Hoops.

That leaves the centre-forward position. No natural number nine scored more than five league goals for the Hoops in the Premiership, which highlights their need for a marquee addition in that position.

Celtic were linked with a move for Brighton & Hove Albion centre-forward Evan Ferguson ahead of the January transfer window, but he ended up staying on loan at Roma for the rest of the season.

Now that his loan in Italy has come to an end, the Scottish giants should go back in for the Ireland international to make him their number nine for next season, if he is available on loan.

Ferguson scored five goals in 22 games for the Italian giants and has previously scored 13 times in 68 matches in the Premier League for Brighton.

The Irishman, who scored 18 goals in 39 games for Brighton at U21 level, has shown promise as a goalscorer in Europe's major leagues and could thrive as a regular starter at Celtic in the Premiership, which is why they should push to bring him in as O'Neill's dream number nine.