Celtic captain Callum McGregor has insisted he will not leave the club following their Champions League exit, despite a humiliating 5-1 defeat to LASK in Linz. The 33-year-old, who opened the scoring before LASK's remarkable four-goal comeback, was visibly distraught but adamant about his future.
The defeat ended Celtic's Champions League dream and dumped them into the Europa League, marking an all-time European low for the Hoops. McGregor, who has been linked with a big-money move to Saudi Arabia after switching to an agency with Middle East ties, made his intentions clear.
McGregor's Emotional Response
Summing up his feelings after the match, McGregor said: "At this moment it’s anger. It’s disappointment. It’s all the emotions you can think of. There hasn’t been too many times when I’ve been 4-0 up in a game and not managed to qualify, especially with how important the Champions League is for the football club."
He added: "So the players are hurting and I’m hurting. Ultimately, we’re the ones who carry the can for the club, and we’re the ones who’ll get the criticism for it. We just have to take it on the chin and my job now is - and the job of the manager and the team, everybody - is to find a route forward that we know is a template for success."
Future and Transfer Ambitions
McGregor previously urged the Celtic board to match his ambition or he would leave this summer. The club spent around £30million on four new players ahead of the LASK clash, but the squad remains light in several areas, with Celtic still chasing at least four new signings, including a replacement for Arne Engels and cover for injury-prone Kieran Tierney.
The Hoops ended the match with a makeshift defence of Anthony Ralston, Dane Murray, Auston Trusty and Liam Scales. McGregor believes more business could have been done to strengthen the squad, saying: "I think we signed well. Then when you look at the team that finished the game - Scalesey playing at left-back etc - then there’s still little bits we still need to move forward. That’s not me pinning the blame on anyone else because this is a game we go 4-0 up in the tie so by no means is this me saying we need a left-back. That’s not the case."
He concluded: "But then, every squad wants to be as strong as possibly can be. And have cover and good players in every position so we’re always pushing each other. There’s no getting away from it, it’s a poor result and we as players have to take that responsibility." McGregor ended his statement with a firm commitment: "Then we’ll see, come the end of the season, where we are and what we’re achieved. But I’ll be here."
