Celtic's Martin O’Neill Prepares for LASK Clash Amid Transfer Uncertainty
Martin O’Neill does not expect Celtic to make any late moves in the market before their Champions League play-off with LASK – and says he would be more than content if Reo Hatate decides his future lies in Glasgow.
The first leg arrives at Celtic Park on Wednesday, with a late-night deadline on Tuesday offering a final chance to tweak the squad. O’Neill, though, is not banking on any drama.
Asked about potential signings, he admitted there was a “fairly decent chance of nothing happening”, a blunt assessment that underlines how settled he feels with what he has.
Engels gone, replacement still to find
One key piece has already moved on. Arne Engels was sold to West Ham at the weekend, stripping Celtic of a midfielder whose energy and running power have been central to O’Neill’s system.
The manager did not hide the size of that loss, stressing the club are “still in the process of finding a replacement” and conceding it will be “hard to replace his running power” against the Austrians.
“It would have been nice to have kept Arne for the couple of games, because he knows the players, knows his role in the team,” O’Neill said. “But it’s not to be. We’ll have someone else in there.”
That “someone else” may be a new face, but not a new signing.
Baur pushed towards a starting role
Mika Baur, introduced on 59 minutes in Sunday’s 4-0 win at Dundee United, is suddenly being fast-tracked. With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suspended and Hatate yet to feature this season, the German is being lined up for a major role far sooner than planned.
O’Neill hinted strongly that Baur is in pole position to start, while still leaving himself room to manoeuvre.
“It might be Baur, I’m not sure yet. He’s just getting to know the team,” he said, aware that throwing a recent arrival straight into a Champions League play-off is a bold move.
Baur is part of a summer refresh that has already seen Camilo Duran and Kasper Høgh make bright starts, with Haissem Hassan also added to the mix. The squad looks younger, livelier, but still incomplete in that central midfield slot Engels has just vacated.
Hatate at a crossroads
Then there is Hatate.
On paper, he is one of Celtic’s most decorated players of recent years: five league titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups since arriving in 2022. On the pitch, lately, he has been a spectator.
The 28-year-old has not started a game since a 2-0 defeat at Dundee United in April and has been an unused substitute in every match so far this term. He still has two years left on his contract, yet his role has rarely felt more uncertain.
“It’s been a bit of a struggle for him [of late],” O’Neill admitted, a stark assessment of a player he still clearly rates highly.
“What I would love Reo to do is get back to the form he showed a couple of years ago when he was one of the best players in Scotland.”
There have been enquiries about the Japan international, O’Neill confirmed, though “nothing definitive” at this stage. The door is open if a concrete offer lands. For now, it is a waiting game.
What is not in doubt is the manager’s stance if Hatate chooses to stay.
“If Reo wants to stay and battle for his place in the team and says he’s capable of doing it, I have no problem with that,” O’Neill said.
So Celtic head into a pivotal European tie with a squad that feels both familiar and in flux: Engels gone, Baur accelerated, Hatate hovering between revival and departure. The deadline clock is ticking, but O’Neill sounds ready to face LASK with what he has – and to see whether one of his most gifted midfielders decides to fight his way back into the heart of it.
