Celtic’s Midfield Crisis: Time to Rebuild the Engine Room

Celtic look close to landing Haissem Hassan, and if the deal is finally dragged over the line, the Egyptian World Cup forward will arrive into a squad that suddenly looks far more dangerous in the final third – and worryingly thin in the middle of the pitch.

Reports have Hassan on the verge of becoming Celtic’s third summer signing, joining Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran. Only when he’s holding the scarf above his head at Celtic Park will the support truly relax, but the shape of the squad is already clear enough.

Attack taking shape, gaps everywhere else

Hogh and Duran have already added fresh edge to the front line, and Hassan would only sharpen that. Three forwards in, serious options emerging, and a sense that Celtic will not be short of firepower once the season settles.

But the rebuild cannot stop there. It simply can’t.

A new goalkeeper is still required. A back‑up left-back is on the list as well, with Greg Taylor likely to retain the starting role. Those are important details in any title defence.

Midfield numbers dwindling

Arne Engels is expected to move on before the window closes. Reo Hatate is in the same bracket, a player widely tipped to leave. Paulo Bernardo has already gone. Strip those names out of the squad list and the picture turns stark.

Right now, Brendan Rodgers can realistically call on only four central midfielders: Callum McGregor, Benjamin Nygren, Luke McCowan and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

That is nowhere near enough for a club that expects to dominate domestically and compete in Europe. Not in terms of numbers. Not in terms of profile.

McGregor remains the heartbeat of the side, but he is no longer at the peak of his powers. Oxlade-Chamberlain brings experience and quality, yet he, too, has moved beyond his prime years. Nygren and McCowan are in that sweet spot age-wise, but neither is especially quick over the ground.

There is craft there. There is control. What there isn’t is sheer, relentless energy.

The Achilles heel in plain sight

That lack of dynamism in midfield has haunted Celtic for years. It has been exposed repeatedly on European nights, where opponents have simply run through the heart of the team, and it has dragged down performances at home as well.

The defence, on the whole, is not the problem. Another goalkeeper is needed, and depth at left-back, but the back line has not been the recurring issue.

The middle of the park has.

Too often Celtic have looked fragile, easy to play through, unable to raise the tempo when games drift. Without legs and aggression in that area, the rest of the structure wobbles, no matter how many forwards arrive.

Priority is clear – fix the engine room

With Hogh and Duran already in and Hassan potentially next, the attack has been given a timely jolt. Supporters can see the outline of a front line capable of hurting teams again.

What they cannot yet see is the platform behind it.

Celtic need at least one, and ideally two, midfielders who bring exactly what this group lacks: power, pace, and a willingness to do the hard yards for 90 minutes and beyond. Players who can snap into tackles, then carry the ball or burst beyond a striker. Players who can make McGregor’s brain and passing range count by doing the running around him.

Because once Engels and Hatate follow Bernardo out the door, this midfield will not just be light. It will be vulnerable, and it will be weakened at the very moment the club is trying to step up a level again.

The club have moved quickly to refresh the forward line. Now comes the defining question of this window: will Celtic finally rebuild the engine room, or risk another season where the same old flaw drags them back?