Celtic's Champions League Collapse: Callum McGregor's Honest Assessment

Callum McGregor did not try to dress it up. Celtic’s captain walked away from Linz knowing the squad that finished their Champions League collapse against LASK is not yet ready for the level the club demands.

Celtic have already pushed close to £30million on Kasper Hogh, Camilo Duran, Haissem Hassan and Mika Baur this summer. Serious backing. Serious intent. But when the tie was unravelling in Austria, the gaps in Martin O'Neill’s group were laid bare.

By the end, it looked like a patched‑up pre-season side rather than a Champions League outfit.

Liam Scales, usually operating centrally, was shunted to left-back. Dane Murray and Anthony Ralston were both drafted into the back line. Luke McCowan came on to help plug holes in midfield. Sebastian Tounekti finished the game on the left flank.

That closing XI told its own story.

With eight days left before the transfer window shuts, McGregor was blunt about what comes next.

“I think we signed well,” he told BBC Sport Scotland when asked if Celtic had done enough business to be ready for the 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.”

The message was clear: the recruitment has been good, but not yet complete.

McGregor was careful not to let the conversation turn into a blame game. Celtic were 4-0 up in the tie. They had the job done, then let it slip.

“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 captain wants competition. He wants depth. He wants players looking over their shoulders, knowing one poor performance could cost them a place.

Celtic have moved aggressively already, but Linz has sharpened the focus. The core is there; the fringes still look thin. With the clock ticking on the window, the question now is whether the board match the urgency of their captain’s warning.