New Celtic signings unlikely before LASK tie – O’Neill

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill does not anticipate any new arrivals before Wednesday’s Champions League play-off first leg at home to LASK and insists he would be happy for midfielder Reo Hatate to stay.

Summer signings Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh have made bright starts, with Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan also recently arrived.

Asked about adding to his squad before the late night deadline on Tuesday, O’Neill said there was a “fairly decent chance of nothing happening”.

Arne Engels was sold to West Ham at the weekend, with O’Neill explaining that the club are “still in the process of finding a replacement” for the midfielder and admitting it will be “hard to replace his running power” against the Austrians.

Baur made his debut as a 59th-minute substitute in Sunday’s 4-0 win at Dundee United and O’Neill suggested the German will start since Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain is suspended and Hatate is yet to feature this season.

“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,” said O’Neill.

“But it’s not to be. We’ll have someone else in there. It might be Baur, I’m not sure yet. He’s just getting to know the team.”

Hatate is another option in the middle of the pitch, but the Japan international has been an unused substitute so far this term and has not started a game since a 2-0 defeat at Dundee United in April.

The 28-year-old joined in 2022 and has two years to run on contract.

“It’s been a bit of a struggle for him [of late],” said O’Neill of the player who has won five league titles, three Scottish Cups, and two League Cups in Glasgow.

“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 [transfer] enquiries, but nothing definitive. That may well happen.

“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.”