By Aidan Connor
Celtic’s midfield isn’t really “good” or “bad” right now. It just feels like it’s arriving at a crossroads. Different timelines are running into each other – an aging leader still holding things together, peak-age players drifting between levels of performance, roles that aren’t fully defined and a growing uncertainty around recruitment. Celtic don’t just need new midfielders but they need a new way of organising the midfield itself. Every midfielder is part of the picture but none of them on their own are the solution.
Callum McGregor remains the organisational reference point of Celtic’s midfield. He is the player that almost everything still runs through and despite criticism around his physical levels, he retains the manager’s trust. Many still see him as the best midfielder at the club. But that status is exactly what makes the next step so complicated because the issue isn’t emotional but structural. Celtic have built multiple versions of their midfield around McGregor without ever fully creating a structure that can work beyond his time at the club. That has created a dependency issue which is similar to the latter stages of the Scott Brown era where the system became centred on a player beyond his peak influence. This is where dependency drift begins. The question is no longer about ability but sustainability and how long Celtic can remain “McGregor-shaped”?
There needs to be a clear timeline beginning this summer. By next season, Celtic should no longer be relying on McGregor as their primary holding midfielder. The replacement question is also being misunderstood as it’s not necessarily about finding a number six, but replacing the qualities he provides – tempo, control, leadership and positional structure. The solution is clear – either introduce a true defensive “destroyer” with these qualities or move McGregor further forward to reduce the burden. In both cases, the aim would be less pressure and greater longevity. McGregor will stay, but the structure around him cannot. What comes after him is an immediate concern for this upcoming window.
Debate still surrounds Luke McCowan’s overall level, but he has produced significant moments in a Celtic shirt. The St Mirren opener at the start of the season has proved crucial and his goal against Stuttgart carried real weight in a historic European context with our first win in Germany. The broader picture is less convincing. He has 1 goal and 1 assist in 28 league appearances and 4 goals and 3 assists in 40 games across all competitions. For a player frequently used in advanced or wide roles that return is not enough. It highlights a recurring issue that McCowan can impact moments, but not consistently enough to shape games.
There is also a positional problem. He has been used across left wing, right wing, central midfield and even defensive midfield, including a difficult outing there against Rangers. That level of usage points to a deeper issue. He is deployed everywhere rather than developed in one role. His strengths; work rate, tactical flexibility and reliability in the league are clear but they have not translated into consistent output. Opinion remains split. Some see a useful squad player; others see a clear ceiling and media criticism has only added to that divide. McCowan is useful everywhere but essential nowhere.
At this stage, he is unlikely to develop beyond a squad role. His homegrown value still matters, but a contract running to 2027 places him firmly in the category to leave at the end of the upcoming season. There have been talks of a Scotland call-up but it’s hard to see him getting into the team on the basis of this season. In terms of Celtic there are better Scottish midfielders we could target including Josh Mulligan, Lennon Miller or internal pathways such as Kyle Ure, Jude Bonnar and Sean McArdle. McCowan provides squad depth but not a starting solution and if he is still heavily relied upon in 18 months it will reflect less on his progression and more on Celtic’s recruitment and structural clarity.
Paulo Bernardo arrived at Celtic with a clear long-term expectation and was initially viewed as a potential Tom Rogic replacement. He was later framed as a successor to Matt O’Riley. His profile carried weight, most notably as a former Portugal U21 captain, suggesting leadership and technical maturity suited to Celtic’s midfield in Europe. There were moments when that potential surfaced. He scored against Rangers and was involved in Adam Idah’s cup final winner, briefly contributing to key moments of success. But those flashes have never translated into sustained first-team influence. The reality is that Bernardo has never truly kicked on and, more importantly, has not been consistently trusted by any of the Celtic managers he has worked with. Even when opportunities came they have been sporadic. His usage has also been unclear. He has been deployed deeper at times, including in defensive midfield, but that is not his natural role. There have been occasional solid European displays, but not enough to shift his standing.
His current situation reflects that uncertainty. He has played just 152 minutes in 2026, at times dropped from squads completely. That lack of minutes has clearly affected confidence, with inconsistent minutes making it difficult to build form. From a performance standpoint, the issues are consistent. His decision-making is often too slow for Celtic’s tempo and he struggles to impose himself in high-intensity games. There is a tension between adaptation and identity, whether he is trying to fit the system or whether the system ever suited him. Recent signals point toward an exit, including changes in representation and openness to a return to Portugal. The direction is increasingly clear. A separation now feels likely and, more importantly, logical for both sides.
At his best, what Reo Hatate produces for Celtic is outstanding. On form he looks like the most influential midfielder in the country, capable of deciding games almost single-handedly. Early highlights such as goals against Rangers and a stunning strike against Hearts created the sense that Celtic had a player operating above the domestic level. That’s why there was always an expectation he would move earlier in his career. In many ways, it’s a surprise he is still at the club. That expectation now frames how he is judged. More recently inconsistency has crept in. There are spells where he looks removed from games, less sharp in possession and lacking previous creative force. The player who once dictated tempo and rhythm now feels less central to Celtic’s build-up.
His numbers remain strong with 6 goals and 3 assists this season following 11 goals and 9 last year but they no longer reflect his overall influence. He is still contributing but without the same authority. A deeper look suggests a shift in profile. The aggressive, line-breaking play has given way to safer, more conservative decision-making. That raises the question of system fatigue and whether Celtic’s current structure still maximises his potential, or whether player and system have drifted apart. Consistency is now the key issue. When Hatate performs, Celtic improve with him but those performances are no longer frequent enough. He has lost his impact. There will still be a market for him, particularly given his peak level, but that window will not remain open indefinitely and with a contract running to 2028, selling while value is high becomes a realistic option. The bigger question is whether he fits the next phase at all. Whether it is individual decline or structural mismatch, he no longer looks like a guaranteed core piece of what comes next.
The numbers of Benjamin Nygren stand out immediately. With 20 goals and 8 assists, he is firmly in the Player of the Year conversation and has provided Celtic’s most direct attacking output from midfield this season. On paper he has been decisive, efficient and highly productive in front of goal. But the criticism is just as consistent. Outside of his end product, Nygren offers little in phases of play. His impact in build-up, pressing structure and overall midfield control is limited, which shapes how he is viewed internally. If Nygren weren’t producing these numbers, he likely wouldn’t be in the starting lineup. His role is heavily skewed toward output rather than overall contribution, creating a very specific dependency.
The bigger question is sustainability. What happens if the goals slow down? Without that return the rest of his game does not naturally compensate, making his long-term value more volatile than his numbers suggest. That volatility is what makes the transfer interest significant. Reports of a £25 million valuation, with interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, place Celtic in a strong but difficult position. From a strategic perspective, the case for selling is clear. His output is valuable, but if reinvested correctly, it can be redistributed. The logic feels simple – cash in at peak value and redistribute those resources across the midfield.
Arne Engels is the most physically imposing and naturally talented midfield profile at Celtic. He is young, athletic, technically gifted and has the attributes of a modern midfielder who should develop into a world class talent. The problem is that no clear position has ever fully emerged. He isn’t a natural holding midfielder, but he also isn’t consistently convincing as an advanced number eight. That leaves him in an in-between space where his role shifts by context rather than structure. This lack of definition becomes more visible in games, where Engels can drift in and out. At times his physicality and ball-carrying stand out but there are long periods where he is not involved enough to control the tempo.
The transfer context only sharpens the dilemma. A £25 million bid from Nottingham Forest has already been rejected and similar interest is expected in the summer. At that level, Celtic are assessing a player but also assessing an asset and the timing of the decision. Engels has the tools, but the system has not given him a consistent tactical identity. He is being asked to adapt rather than being built around and it is unclear whether the structure is helping or limiting him. That creates a strategic dilemma. Do Celtic continue developing him or sell at peak value before uncertainty turns into stagnation. The best-case scenario remains that Engels has the profile to become a dominant, all-action midfielder at a high European level. But that is what makes the decision difficult. Engels is a profile without a position and 25 million is too much to turn down for the board.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived at Celtic on a short-term deal but has proven to be more than just a short-term signing. Despite the limited timeframe, he brings presence and experience to the dressing room, along with a professionalism and leadership that is not easily replaced in a squad in transition. That leadership becomes more important when viewed against the wider contract situation in the squad. Experienced voices are needed to bridge cycles, with players such as Callum McGregor, Kasper Schmeichel and James Forrest all coming to the end of contracts or towards retirement. His performances on the pitch have been mixed but context-dependent. He has impressed against teams like Livingston and St Mirren where his control and quality were more visible, but has also struggled in higher-intensity matches such as Rangers and the early stages of the Kilmarnock game where sharpness and rhythm were less consistent.
In that sense, he is a transitional player, helping to steady and rebuild a squad rather than lead it. His value is in providing short-term structure as the squad evolves. There is also uncertainty around whether he could be tempted back to England if the opportunity arises. The most logical outcome is a one-year extension but the decision is not purely a football one. It comes down to whether his experience justifies his wage in a rebuilding squad. Importantly, his impact is not dependent on minutes. Leadership and dressing room influence matter even without regular starts, which is where his role becomes more nuanced. He does not need to play every week to be important, but he does need to remain part of the structure that holds the transition together.
The larger picture becomes increasingly hard to ignore. Not one midfielder in this group clearly defines Celtic’s future direction. Instead, each profile sits at a different stage of uncertainty with no unified system obvious. Callum McGregor is the old structure still holding it together. Reo Hatate is a fading figure from a once lofty peak. Arne Engels has an unclear role and identity. Paulo Bernardo isn’t trusted enough to be part of the long-term plan. Luke McCowan is a utility squad option. Benjamin Nygren produces elite output, but little structural control beyond goals and assists. Oxlade-Chamberlain is on a short-term deal and could be going back to England soon. Every single midfielder is a different problem and none of them is the solution.
The way forward for Celtic’s midfield is already becoming clearer when viewed through likely exits. Arne Engels, Paulo Bernardo and Reo Hatate all look set to leave, while Benjamin Nygren’s future will depend on the size and timing of offers. Callum McGregor is likely to remain the senior reference point, Luke McCowan fits a short-term squad role and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remains a question mark in terms of contract dynamics and personal choice. From there, the rebuild becomes more focused. In reality, Celtic should only be taking two or three players from the current midfield group into the next cycle. Anything more risks repeating the same structural issues under a different guise.
The recruitment profile is also specific. The first priority is a Champions League-level defensive midfielder, a proper “destroyer” to take over McGregor’s deeper responsibilities and anchor the system moving forward. Celtic also need creative midfielders to cover the Hatate gap, likely requiring two players to replace his progression, creativity and output. On top of that, Nygren’s goals cannot be replaced by one player alone. It would require multiple attacking profiles to share that responsibility. Finally, box-to-box midfielders are needed –
physical, combative players who can replace Engels’ transitional role and raise the intensity through the centre. Celtic have an important 18 months ahead and if we get this wrong we are looking at a backward step not a transition.
