Neil Lennon spoke to PLZ Soccer yesterday about the current state of Celtic’s squad and what they need to compete on all four fronts this season. The club will once again make the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, as well as playing their usual three domestic competitions on top of that too.

To do this, you need a strong and robust squad with plenty of quality options all over the park. Having lost Jota and Carl Starfelt, some have argued that the Hoops need more first-team starters and more depth if they are to be remotely successful in European football this coming campaign. With Gustaf Lagerbielke already on his way to the club, three more areas are said to be of priority to the manager.

However, Lennon has admitted he would like to see different areas strengthened as opposed to just the ones mentioned beforehand. Speaking on PLZ Soccer, he said of the current squad and it’s need for more additions: “I’d like to see them get another striker in. I’d worry if Kyogo was out for any period of time. I’d like to see more physicality in midfield.

 Neil Lennon is lifted by Scott Brown and Victor Wanyama after victory in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League match between Celtic and Hearts at Celtic Park on May 13, 2012  (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

“You know, like a Victor Wanyama-type because to go into the Champions League they’re going to need that physicality. I mean they’ve got good speed in the team. But for me, looking at them even last year, they lacked height at times and they lacked that physicality when they came up against the top-quality teams.”

Lennon is absolutely bang on the money with his assessment. For too long now that Celtic midfield has lacked the adequate power and pace to compete at Champions League level and it has shown whenever we play the big boys on the continent. Teams seem to always be able to out-muscle us or whizz by the central area of the pitch without much resistance and it’s a perpetual issue.

Celtic v Ross County – Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers during the cinch Premiership match at Celtic Park, Saturday August 5, 2023.Photo Steve Welsh

For all our good footballers and the play that’s very nice on the eye, we’re undoubtedly missing a specimen in the centre of the pitch. It’s been a recurring theme really since the days of Victor Wanyama and not one Celtic boss has moved to address this problem. Brendan Rodgers has brought in Kwon Hyeok-kyu, who looks a bit of a unit, but it’s still very much up for debate if he’s ready to be a first-team starter right now.

Paul Gillespie

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