Celtic's Squad Depth Concerns After LASK Tie
Callum McGregor didn’t bother dressing it up. Celtic’s captain walked away from Linz knowing a patched‑up side had limped over the line in Europe – and that the squad still isn’t where it needs to be.
Celtic’s Champions League hopes had already been wrecked by the time the tie with LASK fizzled out, but the closing stages in Austria shone a harsh light on the depth of Martin O’Neill’s group.
This has not been a quiet summer. Around £30million has gone on Kasper Hogh, Camilo Duran, Haissem Hassan and Mika Baur, a sizeable outlay designed to refresh a team expected to live at Europe’s top table. Yet when the final whistle blew in Linz, the picture was far from reassuring.
Scales at left-back, kids and cover everywhere
By the end, the back line looked like something thrown together on the training pitch rather than for a Champions League night. Liam Scales finished at left-back. Dane Murray and Anthony Ralston were drafted into the defence. Luke McCowan came on to bolster the midfield. Sebastian Tounekti was pushed into service on the left flank.
It felt makeshift. Because it was.
With eight days left before the transfer window closes, McGregor didn’t hide from that reality. He backed the business done so far, but he also made it clear Celtic cannot stop here.
“I think we signed well,” he told BBC Sport Scotland when asked if the club had done enough to prepare for the LASK tie. “Then when you look at the team that finished the game – Scalesy playing at left-back, etc – then there’s still little bits we still need to move forward.”
No excuses, but no disguises either
McGregor was careful not to turn the discussion into a shopping list or a blame game. Celtic were 4–0 up in the tie at one stage. From that position, they should never have allowed it to become a conversation about squad depth.
“That’s not me pinning the blame on anyone else because this is a tie we go 4-0 up in, so by no means is this me saying we need a left-back. That’s not the case,” he stressed.
The message, though, was unmistakable. A club with Celtic’s ambitions cannot afford to carry soft spots in key areas, especially when the European stakes are this high.
“But then, every squad wants to be as strong as it possibly can be, and have cover and good players in every position so we’re always pushing each other,” McGregor added.
That’s the standard he is setting. Signings like Hogh, Duran, Hassan and Baur may prove smart business, but nights like Linz demand more than promise. They demand a bench that looks as strong as the XI, and a defensive reshuffle that doesn’t resemble an emergency.
Eight days remain. Celtic have been warned by their own captain. The question now is whether the board match his urgency before the window slams shut.
