\n<\/p>\n
Lawwell hailed a “memorable” year “both on and off the pitch”, during which Celtic won the league and League Cup, reached the Champions League last 16, but lost the Scottish Cup final.<\/p>\n
He suggested the “gains were largely reinvested into the squad, aligned to the club’s commitment to sustained on-field success”. And he pointed to the transfer record being breached twice amid a \u00a342.6m investment in players. <\/p>\n
That takes Celtic’s total spend on players and agent fees over the previous three years to \u00a377.5m, Lawwell added.<\/p>\n
Those figures do not include any money spent on 11 signings this summer, among them Benjamin Nygren, Kieran Tierney, Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Sebastian Tounekti.<\/p>\n
But Lawwell said the club “recognise and share the frustration and disappointment” of fans about how their summer recruitment went.<\/p>\n
“The board shares the ambition of our supporters to see the strongest possible team on the pitch,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We will continue to balance short-term performance with long-term financial stability, and we must factor in the long-term implications of decisions made today. <\/p>\n
“This strategy is vital to Celtic and has been pivotal to our success over 20 years.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n