It would be safe to say that changes are needed at Celtic. A lot of them. And it might not be as simple as just bringing in a bunce of new players in the summer in hopes of revamping the squad.

The problems might lie a lot deeper than that. The entire think tank might need to be changed, if things are to really improve at Celtic.

Those around Scotland are starting to catch up with Celtic. In the summer, the Rangers underwent a takeover and while they have remained inconsistent, the intent is clear to see. Heavy investments have been made into the squad and as things stand, they are a couple of points ahead of the Hoops.

Of course, Hearts have been the surprise package this season and are sitting atop the Premiership table. Whether they win the league or not, they have exceeded all expectations and it is a good sign that they are moving in the right direction under new leadership. They are currently five points ahead of Celtic with just seven league games left to be played. Coming into the season, that would have been unthinkable. But this is the new reality.

Now, it remains to be seen how Celtic react. For years, the fans have felt that the club have not kept up with modern football. And it is now starting to come back to haunt them.

The squad has been gradually weakened since Ange Postecoglou left after winning the treble. Now, it has come to a point where they can't even comfortably get past most Scottish clubs. Throughout the campaign, the club have been squeezing out narrow wins.

Celtic do have money in the bank though. And that has given rise to suggestions that Dermot Desmond could be gearing up for a sale.

According to 67 Hail Hail, Peter Martin said on PLZ Soccer: "[Celtic] have got £77 million in the bank…

“And some of the people I’ve been speaking to think that it looks as is [Desmond] is gearing up for a sale.”

Not everybody views the situation in the same light though. Stephen McGowan said in response: “I don’t see any evidence of that. I can understand the logic, because if you look at what Ross Desmond said, they think they are being sustainable.

“The phrase he used was, ‘we can’t afford to swing and miss’, by taking a punt at it. I think the situation is toxic.

“I’ve written in the herald that I don’t think anything changes at Celtic, really, until everything changes. I think it comes absolutely right from the top.

“But I don’t necessarily see any great impetus for that.”

A change of ownership might be what Celtic need at the moment. That being said, there is no guarantee that it will work out for the better. We cannot forget how successful the club has been in recent times, winning 13 out of the last 14 league titles. There was also a period when they won five trebles in seven seasons.

Just look at Chelsea, who have faced tough times since their change of ownership, despite spending record sums of money. So, it does not always work out for all clubs. A lot of stuff does need to change at Parkhead though, if the club are to remain at the top of Scottish football on a constant basis.

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