Celtic's Depth Issues Revealed by McGregor After LASK Stumble

Callum McGregor did not try to dress it up. Celtic might have spent heavily this summer, but their captain walked out of Linz convinced one thing is still missing – depth worthy of the Champions League.

A makeshift Celtic side stumbled over the line against LASK, completing a collapse from 4-0 up in a tie that was supposed to be routine. The final whistle didn’t just end the contest. It stripped back the squad.

A strong start, a fragile finish

On paper, Celtic’s business looked bold. Around £30million invested in Kasper Hogh, Camilo Duran, Haissem Hassan and Mika Baur signalled intent, a club trying to muscle its way back to Europe’s top table with fresh energy and attacking options.

On the pitch, the closing stages told a different story.

Liam Scales, so often used centrally, finished at left-back. Dane Murray and Anthony Ralston were drafted into a patched-up defence. Luke McCowan came on to bolster a stretched midfield. Sebastian Tounekti was pushed into service on the left flank.

This was not the kind of line-up a manager dreams of when the pressure rises in Europe. It was what Martin O'Neill had left.

McGregor, speaking to BBC Sport Scotland, did not shy away from the contrast.

“I think we signed well,” he said when asked if Celtic had done enough to prepare for the tie. Then came the caveat – and the reality check. “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.”

The pressure of the night, and the way Celtic ended it, sharpened that point more than any boardroom review could.

No excuses, but no disguises

McGregor refused to use recruitment as a shield. Celtic were 4-0 up in the tie. That kind of lead is supposed to end arguments, not start them.

“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 insisted.

The message was clear: the collapse is on the players already in the building. The bigger picture is on the club.

Celtic’s captain has lived through enough European campaigns to know what happens when a squad is stretched thin. Tired legs, square pegs in round holes, and a bench that can’t change the rhythm of a game. The closing minutes in Linz had all of that.

So he pushed the conversation forward.

“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.”

That is the standard he is demanding. Not just a first XI capable of blowing teams away for an hour, but a full group that can protect a lead, ride out storms, and still look assured when injuries bite.

Eight days to act

The calendar adds its own tension. Eight days remain before the transfer window closes. Eight days to decide whether this squad can carry Celtic through a long domestic campaign and the demands of European football, or whether the final in Linz was an early warning they cannot ignore.

The names already signed suggest ambition. The way Celtic finished against LASK suggests the job is not done.

McGregor has drawn the line in plain sight. The question now is whether the club crosses it before the window slams shut.