Former football executive Charlie Methven has accused Celtic's principal shareholder Dermot Desmond of leading "bad decisions" from the board over investment, and has flagged a suspected £90m cash pile at the club.
Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast, Methven, who previously worked as executive director at Sunderland and Charlton and now works as a football adviser and podcaster, said the club has been "piling up cash in the bank account" rather than improving the stadium and first-team squad.
Cash reserves and fan anger
Methven said: "The fact of the matter is that at the same time that Celtic have been very, very tight on spending both on their first-team squad but also on their facilities, their stadium, etc., they've just been piling up cash in the bank account."
He added: "I mean, it's difficult to have a real-time snapshot of where they are right now, but I suspect they've got about £90 million in cash in the bank whilst still having a not-fit-for-purpose main stand at their stadium, Celtic Park, and also not having a squad that's good enough even to beat absolute minnows in European qualifying."
The comments come amid tensions between Celtic Park decision-makers, with Desmond targeted by tennis balls from protesting fans in balaclavas while competing at a golf event at St Andrews earlier this month. The incident led to furious back-and-forth statements from both the Scottish champions and fan groups, with the Parkhead AGM rapidly approaching.
Accounts show decline
While Methven speculated around £90m stashed in the Celtic coffers, the club's latest accounts showed that money in the bank was down from £77.3m to £66.4m. The Hoops also announced a loss of £4.8m for the financial year, compared to a £33.9m profit in 2025.
The period to June 2026 also shows revenue plummeted to £111m from £143.6m, mainly due to the club's failure to qualify for the Champions League.
Methven expects a reckoning for Desmond and the Parkhead board at the shareholder summit, saying fans are asking why their money is not being invested into the stadium to help grow revenues and compete on the European stage.
