Callum McGregor did not bother dressing it up. Celtic may have splashed close to £30million this summer, but their captain walked out of Linz knowing the squad is still short.
A makeshift side stumbled over the line as their Champions League hopes crumbled against LASK, and the closing stages in Austria told their own story. The tie had once been 4-0 in Celtic’s favour. By the end, it felt like a warning.
A patched‑up finish in Linz
As the pressure rose, Celtic’s structure frayed. Liam Scales, signed as a centre-back, finished the night at left-back. Youngster Dane Murray was thrown into the backline alongside Anthony Ralston. Luke McCowan came on to plug a gap in midfield. Sebastian Tounekti ended the match on the left wing.
These are not the conditions in which a Champions League campaign is supposed to be managed. Not for a club of Celtic’s size. Not when this summer has already delivered Kasper Hogh, Camilo Duran, Haissem Hassan and Mika Baur.
The recruitment has been bold. The reality on the pitch was blunt.
McGregor’s honest verdict
McGregor, speaking to BBC Sport Scotland, backed the signings that have arrived but did not hide from the deficiencies exposed in Austria.
“I think we signed well,” he said when asked if Celtic had done enough business before the tie. Then came the caveat that cut through the noise.
“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.”
He was careful not to turn it into a shopping list or a blame game.
“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.
“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.”
The message landed all the same. Celtic need more.
Eight days, big decisions
The clock is ticking. Eight days remain before the transfer window closes, and the final half-hour in Linz has handed the Celtic hierarchy a stark piece of evidence.
Martin O'Neill has seen his side invest heavily in attacking talent and potential. Yet when the tie turned chaotic, Celtic looked stretched, patched together, and short of genuine competition in key areas.
This is not about one position, as McGregor stressed. It is about depth. About standards. About a squad that can absorb injuries, tactical shifts and European intensity without having to improvise its back four on the fly.
The captain has drawn the line in clear terms. The money has been spent, the foundations laid, but the job is not done. With the Champions League gone and the window closing fast, Celtic now face the real test of their ambition: will they treat Linz as a one-off collapse, or as the moment that forced them to finish what they started in the market?
