Celtic went into their Champions League play-off against LASK having made fewer summer signings than any other club in the SPFL, according to Yahoo Sports. Research covering all 42 clubs shows Martin O'Neill had added just four new players who had featured competitively by the cut-off point of August 24. Camilo Duran, Kasper Høgh, Haissem Hassan and Mika Baur were Celtic's only qualifying arrivals, leaving them bottom of the Scottish football recruitment table. Even League Two side The Spartans had brought in five, while every other club across the Premiership, Championship, League One and League Two had surpassed Celtic's total. The contrast was particularly striking in the top flight. Hibernian had recruited six players and Dundee seven, while Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hearts and Rangers had all reached double figures. Falkirk led the way with 15. It was not a question of Celtic refusing to spend. Their four additions reportedly cost around £32.8million combined, but the bulk of that investment strengthened attacking areas, with two strikers, a winger and midfielder arriving. Other gaps remained unresolved when Celtic faced LASK. O'Neill had already acknowledged his desire for defensive reinforcements, while Kieran Tierney remained without an established alternative at left-back. The midfield was also weakened by Arne Engels' £22million departure to West Ham before Champions League qualification had been secured. O'Neill admitted replacing the Belgian's energy would be difficult, while Chris Sutton questioned the timing of his sale ahead of the LASK tie. Celtic still have until September 3 to reshape their squad, but the priority has now changed. The expectation was never for Celtic to match Falkirk's 15 arrivals. It was to ensure O'Neill had a sufficiently balanced squad for the defining European games of the summer. League standing: 1st in Premiership, 6 pts, 2W-0D-0L from 2 games, recent form WW. Goals this season: 6 scored, 1 conceded (+5 goal difference). Next fixture: vs Motherwell (at home, 2026-12-26). Currently sidelined: Alistair Johnston, Jota.
Is Genk considering a move for Canadian international Niko Sigur?
Genk are eyeing up a potential move for Niko Sigur, according to HLN as reported by Yahoo Sports. The 22-year-old is a Canadian international who currently plays for Hadjuk Split in Croatia. However, Genk are not the only side interested in signing Sigur. Ligue 1 side Toulouse and Scottish giants Celtic are also said to be considering a move for the Canadian international midfielder. For Genk, a new defensive midfielder is seen as a requirement, but they are not only looking at Sigur. He appears to be just one of a number of targets in that position. Sigur played three games for Canada at the World Cup, playing 87 minutes as the side lost to Morocco in the knock out stages of the competition. Sigur has been with Hadjuk Split since 2023. Sigur had represented Croatia at U21 level but switched to Canada in 2024, going on to play 22 games for the side. Domestically, Sigur has played 120 games for Hadjuk Split, scoring five goals. So far this season he has already played six games for the Croatian side, with the side having been involved in the qualification rounds for European competitions.
Why did John McGinn's 2018 move to Celtic collapse?
John McGinn reckons Celtic would have struck a deal for him if he wasn't a boyhood fan and his grandfather Jack hadn't served as the club's chairman, according to the Daily Record Football. The all-action midfielder appeared destined for Parkhead in 2018 before a move collapsed with Hibs and the Villans swooped in to secure a £2.8million agreement. Brendan Rodgers was desperate to sign McGinn and the aborted move came months before the Irishman's first abrupt exit from Glasgow's east end. And McGinn's brilliance with Villa culminated in a stunning Europa League triumph last season as Unai Emery's team achieved glory. Now the 31-year-old Scotland star has lifted the lid on the deal that never materialised and the factors that prevented him from pulling on the Hoops. Speaking on The Overlap, he said: "I think the irony is: if [Jack] wasn’t my grandpa and I wasn’t a Celtic fan, I probably would be a Celtic player. I think they felt, because I was a Celtic fan, it would just happen. Nobody else would come in, and Hibs would crumble." McGinn was full of praise for former club Hibs and their role in allowing him to await the green light to join his boyhood club. But the move never happened. He added: "Hibs were amazing at the time. They said, ‘We’re not going to stand in your way. We know you want to be a Celtic player, but they need to pay us what you’re worth.’ So I gave them my word that, ‘All right, that’s fine. You won’t stand in my way, but I’ll wait until they pay what I’m worth.’ "And it never, ever got there. I can’t remember exactly. I think it was two or three million at the time. I think they bid a few times." McGinn then expanded on the role his grandpa had during talks, with the man who served as chairman between 1986 and 1991 offering sage advice amid the protracted talks. McGinn said: "They actually phoned my grandpa to try and influence me at the time. But he had a good relationship with both sides. He trusted me and my agent. And he said, ‘Listen, nothing to do with me. If you’ve got the money, pay the money. And John will play for Celtic.’"
What does Ange Postecoglou's clash with Jack Hendry mean for Celtic?
Furious Jack Hendry was embroiled in an astonishing bust-up with former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou after Al-Nassr's remarkable comeback from the dead, according to the Daily Record Football. The Scotland international was left fuming at the full-time whistle as Al-Ettifaq contrived to allow a two-goal lead to slip against Postecoglou's 10 men. Hendry cut an animated figure after each of Al-Nassr's three late goals and then exploded with fury at the final whistle. The 31-year-old was embroiled in arguments with players from the Saudi Pro League champions before a fiery exchange of words with the ex-Hoops boss. Postecoglou wasn't for backing down, however, and he was keen to fire back some verbals on a night when Ronaldo was subbed off at half time before the epic comeback. Hendry left Celtic before Postecoglou became the boss and their rammy was within earshot of two other men with the Hoops in their past. Moussa Dembele started the game and Jordan Larsson, son of Henrik, were on the pitch as acrimony spilled over. Hendry penned a bumper new deal to stay in Saudi earlier this summer and Postecoglou has started fast in the Middle East with four consecutive wins.
How did Hearts' win over Rapid Vienna relate to Celtic's recent results?
Hearts gained some redemption for Scottish football in Austria with a courageous performance to qualify for the league stage of the Uefa Conference League, according to The Scotsman Football. The night after Celtic had collapsed in Linsk, the ten-man Gorgie side stood tall in Vienna, beating SK Rapid 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw, the same scoreline as the first leg. The victory will be worth around £4 million to the club and guarantees them European football until Christmas. They can look forward to Friday’s draw in the knowledge they have six more fixtures to play in this competition. This was also Hearts’ sixth European qualifying tie of a season that has barely got going in a domestic sense. They had already tumbled out of the Champions League and the Europa League and the fear was that they might find themselves eliminated from three Uefa competitions by August - before the Edinburgh Festival had even finished. That they were not is testament to a group of players who grew into the second leg and dealt with every setback that came their way. Theirs was a performance worthy of a five-star review. They trailed 1-0 at half-time to Ercan Kara’s back-post tap-in and were then reduced to 10 men in the 76th minute when Tomas Magnusson was sent off, rather harshly, for a second yellow card. It looked bleak for the visitors but Pierre Landry Kabore chested home a Blair Spittal corner three minutes later to take the match into extra time. Hearts took the lead in stunning fashion in the first half of the extra 30 minutes as Kabore broke away and played in fellow sub Rogers Mato. His cross to the back post was met on the volley by Calvin Miller who finished spectacularly with his left foot. It was a wonderful moment and a wonderful goal and looked as if it had won the tie for Hearts. But Rapid equalised in the 119th minute when Nenad Cvetkovic bundled home a cross from Moulaye Haidara to make it 2-2 and take it to penalties. Beau Reus, Hearts’ Dutch goalkeeper, was the hero of the shoot-out, saving from Haidara and Marco Tilio to seal a famous victory in Vienna.
What transfer activity is Rangers undertaking that affects Celtic?
Rangers are on the brink of spending nearly £18 million on two players as they bolster their attacking options, according to The Scotsman Football. Venezuelan striker Kevin Kelsy is reportedly jetting into Glasgow in a £9m deal from Portland Timbers, while Rangers are also close to signing South Korean winger Kim Min-su from Girona. The fee for that transfer is anticipated to be around £8.5m. “I think we are close to certainly doing one,” manager Derek McInnes said. “Min-su is obviously one that we are really active on. We are not at a position where we can announce anything at the minute but it wouldn’t be a million miles away to suggest that hopefully that one happens for us. "We are still working on one or two other things. The sooner we get them in, the better.” A potential exit at Ibrox Nicolas Raskin could have played his last game for Rangers after the Belgian midfielder was left in Scotland ahead of Thursday night’s Conference League tie against FK Jablonec. Manager McInnes confirmed that there is transfer interest Raskin, who impressed during this summer’s World Cup. "We believe that interest has stepped up over the last couple of days,” confirmed McInnes. “Something may or may not happen. “If Nico stays beyond the window then it would be great to work with him, if he doesn’t then we wish him well. I think everything moves on, Nico has served the club well. “There is maybe an opportunity for him and the club to capitalise on that with a transfer fee. I don’t want to say too much about Nico at the minute until if and when something happens. It is still an if rather than a certainty.” Staying with Rangers, their French winger Djeidi Gassama has reported interest from clubs in Serie A. It is claimed both Monza and Parma have submitted bids in the regio. Check our squad for updates on Celtic's current roster and visit our fixtures page for upcoming match details.
