Shaun Maloney Celtic Wage Claim Emerges as Huge Figure Is Revealed

The claim was made by football broadcaster Paul John Dykes while discussing the make-up of Martin O'Neill's coaching staff and the negotiations that eventually saw Maloney and Mark Fotheringham remain at Celtic.

According to Dykes, his understanding is that Maloney is the third-highest-paid coach or manager in Scottish football, with only O'Neill and Rangers manager Derek McInnes earning more.

That would represent a significant salary for a Celtic assistant manager.

However, there is an important caveat: Celtic do not publicly disclose individual coaching salaries, meaning the claim has not been independently verified.

Maloney's reported Celtic position

Maloney became an important member of O'Neill's coaching staff after initially returning to Celtic in a player-development role.

He had previously worked alongside O'Neill during the manager's interim spell and played a significant part in the coaching team that helped Celtic secure the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup double last season.

When O'Neill was confirmed as Celtic's permanent manager, there was uncertainty over whether Maloney and Fotheringham would remain.

Reports emerged that the pair had been offered contracts involving reduced salaries, with negotiations continuing before agreements were eventually reached.

O'Neill subsequently took responsibility for the delay, explaining that his own uncertainty over whether he would remain as manager had complicated the process.

Both coaches ultimately returned to the first-team set-up.

What the wage claim means

Dykes' claim, if accurate, would put Maloney in an unusual position within Scottish football.

He is not the head coach at Celtic, yet the reported salary would place him above most managers in the country.

The two names said to be ahead of him are particularly significant: O'Neill, his current Celtic boss, and McInnes, who is in charge of Rangers.

Dykes described Maloney as being on a "decent wage" for his role, although no exact figure was provided.

The length of Maloney's current agreement is also unclear.

Dykes questioned whether his deal was simply for one season and whether Celtic would want to retain him in the same capacity beyond the current campaign.

That could become increasingly relevant given the uncertainty surrounding O'Neill.

O'Neill uncertainty adds another layer

The timing of the claim is particularly interesting.

O'Neill is currently considering his Celtic future after the club suffered three consecutive defeats, including two against Rangers and a Europa League loss to Ferencvaros.

The manager has said he will use the international break to reflect on his position, meaning there is genuine uncertainty over what Celtic's coaching structure could look like when domestic football resumes.

Maloney's future would naturally be connected to that decision.

If O'Neill remains, Maloney's role within his coaching team could continue. If there is a managerial change, however, a new boss could decide to bring in their own staff.

That could leave Maloney facing another decision over his position at Celtic, despite the latest claim suggesting he currently occupies one of the most lucrative coaching roles in Scottish football.

For now, though, the salary figure remains just that — a reported claim rather than an amount confirmed by Celtic.

And with O'Neill's future itself under scrutiny, Maloney's position could become one of several issues the club has to address during the international break.