Celtic secured ten new signings this summer, yet there was an element of surprise regarding the lack of reinforcements at centre-back, with other areas taking priority.
Martin O’Neill and co appeared content with what they’ve got, with Shaun Maloney notably tipping Dane Murray, already 23, to enjoy something of a breakthrough season.
“We have got Dane Murray; I think he is really on the verge of stepping up,” claimed Maloney in the summer.
“If he managed to get past any of the centre-backs, I think he would be very close to the national team if he got a run of games.”
It’s a decision that has already come back to bite, with question marks still surrounding the likes of Liam Scales at Parkhead.
Why Celtic should have signed an upgrade on Liam Scales
The centre-back department has undergone so much upheaval in recent years, with a string of signings having come and gone since Ange Postecoglou’s exit in 2023.
The likes of Gustav Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki barely had a look-in under Brendan Rodgers, while there have been a spate of forgettable loan signings too in that department, be it Nat Phillips, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey or Benjamin Arthur.
Perhaps the Bhoys need a sense of stability then this time around, yet it’s hard to shake the feeling that they have left themselves short, an injury away from looking rather depleted.
|
Celtic CBs – Where are they now? |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Current Club |
|
Arthur |
Portsmouth (loan) |
|
Simpson-Pusey |
Koln |
|
Inamura |
FC Tokyo |
|
Welsh |
Swansea City |
|
Nawrocki |
Lens |
|
Lagerbielke |
Braga |
|
Phillips |
West Brom |
|
Starfelt |
Celta |
|
Urhoghide |
Dallas |
|
Kobayashi |
Jagellonia |
Murray, no longer a mere prospect, wilted in key games last term, while Auston Trusty continues to perplex, having found himself ousted by Scales in recent outings.
As for Scales, well this is a man whom O’Neill admitted he didn’t know what the club would do without, yet is he really of the level required, particularly in Europe?
So often looking cumbersome in possession, the Irishman has lost the ball 11.2 times per game in the Premiership this season, as he did late on in almost comical fashion against Rangers last time out.
He’s been a solid servant in recent times, having stepped up when so many other centre-backs fell by the wayside, but he has his limitations, losing the ball 18 times in total in that 1-0 derby defeat.
An upgrade was surely needed on that left-hand side this summer, although it’s not as if Scales is the only issue right now.
Why £6m Celtic man should be a concern for O’Neill
Talk surrounding Celtic’s centre-back department has been ramped up by the sight of Stephen Welsh in the senior Scotland squad, the academy graduate having joined Swansea City on a free transfer over the summer.
Perhaps the ex-Motherwell loanee deserved another shot in O’Neill’s ranks, with it difficult to view him as anything other than an upgrade on young Murray.
There’s also the question mark over the form of Cameron Carter-Vickers, the £6m man having not looked like himself since returning from injury over pre-season.
A period of readjustment is to be expected after such a lengthy layoff, the 28-year-old having missed almost the entirety of 2025/26, yet that doesn’t excuse his recent woes.
While Scales is merely operating at his usual level, Carter-Vickers looks a long way off the player who was previously dubbed the “best defender in Scotland” by Postecoglou in his pomp.
The two-legged tie with LASK was particularly concerning, with the United States international looking all at sea in the first half at Parkhead, left thankful for the offside flag on more than one occasion.
His typically vital recovery pace just didn’t seem to be there on the night, while he was also central to the woes in the second-leg away in Linz.
It was like the walking wounded as Celtic’s backline wilted heading into extra time, O’Neill losing Tierney and then Carter-Vickers to injury, albeit with the latter featuring just days later against Falkirk.
He’s still a fine centre-back against Premiership opposition, yet in the tougher tests the former Tottenham Hotspur man has looked rather exposed, particularly in the Scottish League Cup exit at Ibrox.
Following the subsequent derby defeat in the league, Carter-Vickers put himself in the crosshairs somewhat too after his talk regarding Celtic’s “random” display, comments that were viewed as a potential dig at O’Neill and his coaching staff.
Perhaps that has been a little overblown, but what is clear is that the centre-back’s own game needs to be raised after the international break, with his poor performances having quietly gone under the radar.
It is usually the likes of Scales and Trusty feeling the heat in Glasgow, and largely rightly so, yet Carter-Vickers deserves some scrutiny of his own this time around.
Let’s hope he can get back to his best.
