Lask, Viking, Aarhus, Sabah, Celje, Ararat-Armenia, Levski Sofia and last year’s bringers of doom Kairat Almaty make up the list of potential opponents Celtic will face later in the month on Champions League qualifying play-off duty.
No offence, but it’s more Eurotrash than the continental elite.
Defeat is unthinkable, particularly after the shame of Almaty 12 months ago. And being accused again of holding off on buying new players until they have definitely guaranteed group-stage cash is a place the much maligned Parkhead board cannot allow themselves to be.
Aarhus coming back from the dead to beat Lech Poznan on penalties during the week — and ensuring Greeks AEK Athens have joined Celtic as a seeded side for Monday morning’s draw — did the Parkhead outfit a massive favour.
They now need to speculate to accumulate before the first leg on August 18/19. Big-time. Yes, the £17million spent so far on forwards Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran looks to have been invested in promising talent, but £10m came in the other way from the sale of Daizen Maeda, while Arne Engels, Alistair Johnston and Reo Hatate also look like they’ll be shipping out for handsome dough soon.
Other parts of the team need strengthened. And the quicker bodies come in the better. Established targets such as SC Paderborn’s Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan of Real Oviedo should only be parts of a bigger jigsaw.
Celtic players react after losing out to Kairat Almaty in last year’s Champions League qualifiers
If Celtic don’t go large and end up losing to whichever element of the flotsam and jetsam of the non-seeds they face, CEO Michael Nicholson and the motley crew in the posh seats will deserve what’s coming.
The ludicrous business of blaming journalists and punters on social media for last summer’s utterly catastrophic — and hugely costly — transfer window caused fury.
More of the same this time round and the reaction, when the Champions League should be a shoo-in, will surely make that look like a kid’s birthday party.
Sassuolo move sets up Kieron Bowie to be Scotland’s main man
Kieron Bowie maybe didn’t pull up any huge trees during his first six months in Serie A when being relegated with Verona after leaving Hibs, but he did more than all right.
He made 14 starts, scored four goals — against eventual champions Inter, Juventus, Bologna and Torino — and looks like landing himself a £10million-plus move to Sassuolo.
Kieron Bowie tussles with former Inter Milan star Denzel Dumfries, who is now at Real Madrid
If that goes through, one of his main targets during a first full season in the Italian top-flight really ought to be using his time in Emilia-Romagna to make it clear to Scotland’s new head coach that he can be a long-term solution up front for the national team.
Celebrating his 24th birthday next month, he should be entering his peak years. He offers lots in terms of physique and technique and must look around the current squad and fancy himself to push close to the top of the pile.
Lyndon Dykes has had his time. Che Adams failed to make any significant impression on a major tournament once again in North America. Ross Stewart and George Hirst were bit-part players and Lawrence Shankland must prove he can step it up consistently at higher levels than the Scottish Premiership.
It’s all there for Bowie if he’s up for it. He still has a lot of improving to do and we don’t want to ask too much, but centre-forward is going to be one of several problem positions for Steve Clarke’s successor and he looks as likely to provide a lasting answer as anyone.
