Martin O’Neill confesses over Celtic transfer failure

Martin O’Neill has revealed his disappointment at failing to find a suitable replacement for Arne Engels during the transfer window.

The midfielder was at Lennoxtown for Day 1 of pre-season training then started the opening SPFL Premiership matches against Dundee and Kilmarnock.

Engels was named in the Celtic squad for the Champions League Play Off against LASK Linz.

By the time the Austrian champions visited Celtic Park Engels was a West Ham player.

Celtic had £22m in the bank with deals completed to sign Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan.

Neither of the two new arrivals are close to the profile of Engels.

Even with Engels there has been plenty of fans hoping to see greater physicality in the team, especially in midfield.

A ‘ Wanyama type’ is the regular cry but the Kenyan left Celtic 13 years ago after just two seasons with the hoops.

Only Aaron Mooy briefly during the 22/23 season have Celtic had an effective physical presence in midfield.

The Australian was no enforcer but he did bring a strength to the side that hasn’t been properly replaced.

O’NEILL SHINES A LIGHT ON RECRUITMENT FAILURE

Discussing Engels, The Herald reports O’Neill saying:

I always felt he was going to be leaving anyway. Trying to get a like for like, we looked at a number of players who could do that.

For one reason or another, it didn’t materialise. So yeah, he’s been a loss in terms of that running power he can give you.

Later asked about signing players to play in a specific system the Celtic boss added:

You need a bit of strength. That was something that I thought was lacking from last season.

You’re trying to get the right person in to do that and sometimes you get frustrated in the transfer market if it doesn’t materialise. But that’s really something that didn’t necessarily mean fitting just one system, it just meant players being able to play whatever you do.

After Celtic rejected offers from Nottingham Forest in January it seemed inevitable that Engels would be looking to leave in the summer.

Celtic had plenty of time to source replacements. Their bank balance would have accommodated another £11m signing.

With little known about recruitment, no Director of Football it is difficult to nail does who is responsible for transfer failings.

O’Neill could have side-stepped the Engels question. By answering it new questions are being asked about the competency of those behind the scenes at Celtic.

As well as Baur Celtic signed midfielders Oliver Sorenson and Joel van den Berg during the summer transfer window.