Martin O’Neill believes Celtic ought to “aspire” to win the Champions League forward of their play-off spherical qualifier towards Austrian champions LASK.
The 74-year-old hailed the Lisbon Lions – who delivered the membership’s biggest ever achievement after they lifted the European Cup in 1967 – for “setting the bar” and needs his aspect to duplicate their success regardless of the monetary challenges of recent soccer.
The Celtic supervisor additionally expressed his “disappointment” over shedding influential midfielder Arne Engels to West Ham United simply days earlier than Wednesday’s essential £40m showdown.
After being knocked out of Europe’s premier competitors at this stage by Kazakh aspect Kairat Almaty final 12 months, the champions of Scotland return with recent faces and a degree to show.
O’Neill: We must be aiming to win the Champions League
When the Estadio Metropolitano phases the 2027 remaining in Madrid subsequent June, 60 years could have handed since legendary captain Billy McNeil acquired his arms on the trophy – the enduring picture of which is forged in bronze outdoors Celtic Park.
Soccer has modified within the intervening six a long time with Scottish sides now not in a position to compete with the monetary would possibly of elite golf equipment in England, Spain, Germany, France or Italy.
Nevertheless, O’Neill – who received the European Cup twice as a participant with Nottingham Forest – has set his gamers the inconceivable activity of emulating the membership’s most well-known heroes:
Billy McNeil was awarded the “One Membership Man” honour by Athletic Bilbao in 2019.
“I’ve stated all alongside, I feel that the bar was set down right here approach again in 1967,” he stated at his pre-match information convention.
“From then on, I imagine that Celtic must be aspiring to that. We might by no means, ever, ever get there and clearly with the best way that the monetary market has moved in soccer, it is getting an increasing number of tough for possibly a crew from Scotland.
“However that apart, you must nonetheless be aspiring to it and that is what we wish to try to do. We might by no means get there however that is the bar that is been set down, and the soccer membership have received the European Cup or the Champions League, no matter it is known as.
“Actually, that is what we must be making an attempt to do, and we’ll make an all-out effort to try to make it.”
How a lot is Champions League qualification price?
Whereas status and platform might inspire gamers and managers, cash retains boardrooms blissful.
Celtic banked greater than £40m from their final participation within the Champions League in 2024/25, the place they have been crushed by Bayern Munich within the first knockout spherical.
Nicolas Kuhn put Celtic 1-0 up towards Bayern Munich within the Champions League’s first knockout spherical in 2025.
If O’Neill’s aspect are in a position to efficiently navigate their play-off with LASK this 12 months, they are going to obtain round £16m in computerized prize cash – even when they lose all eight league part matches.
Thereafter, each draw within the competitors is price £600k and each win is price £1.8m. There are additionally monetary rewards for each place within the remaining league part desk in addition to for each spherical of the knockout phases.
As well as, in line with Soccer Meets Knowledge, Celtic are because of obtain between £14.4m and £16.6m from Uefa’s sophisticated ‘worth pillar’ monetary distribution mannequin – which ranks collaborating golf equipment primarily based on coefficient factors and TV market rankings. Subsequently, the ultimate determine might change relying on which groups progress to the league part.
Moreover, primarily based on earlier gate receipts and ticket costs, 4 offered out house Champions League fixtures at Celtic Park might yield an additional £10m in gross ticket gross sales.
Thus, earlier than kicking a ball, Champions League qualification may very well be price an estimated £40m.
Killing the Kairat derailer
Twelve months in the past, a fifth consecutive exit in Champions League qualifying threatened to derail Celtic’s season.
The end result, paired with a perceived lack of exercise within the switch window, prompted a collection of fan protests aimed on the membership’s board which punctuated a tumultuous marketing campaign at Celtic Park.
The hierarchy have been accused of ‘neglecting’ the crew, ‘sleeping on the wheel’, and ‘playing’ Champions League qualification through official supporters’ group statements and ultras’ group banners.
Nevertheless, this summer season, the membership have reinvested important funds within the taking part in squad; greater than £30m has been spent on the acquisitions of Kasper Hogh, Camilo Duran, Hasseim Hassan and Mika Baur.
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Highlights of the Scottish Premiership match between Kilmarnock and Celtic.
And regardless of shedding key contributors corresponding to Engels, Daizen Maeda, Kasper Schmeichel, Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi, supervisor O’Neill feels his aspect are well-equipped to cope with LASK:
“I feel that the gamers who’re nonetheless right here on the soccer membership, they might effectively bear in mind it, they might effectively assume that they have one thing to try to obtain this time,” he added.
“However general, I feel we’re simply making an attempt to stay up for the video games, making an attempt to get a end result within the matches and making an attempt to get via.
“I just like the gamers that we have signed. I feel I stated final weekend that ideally it might be good if, as an illustration, [Hasseim] Hassan had a bit bit extra soccer performed.
“That is the character of the sport. We have him in now and over the course of the season, whether or not it is within the Champions League or whether or not it is within the Europa League, it is as much as the gamers now as a lot as anything.
“I feel the standard that we have introduced in will bear fruit in the course of the course of the season.”
O’Neill: Cannot substitute Engels earlier than qualifiers
The lack of Engels might have felt inevitable, however the timing is much from ultimate.
The Belgium worldwide was topic of a £25m bid from Premier League aspect Nottingham Forest on deadline day in January earlier than ultimately leaving for £22m to West Ham United this summer season.
Nevertheless, the midfielder’s departure was not confirmed till Saturday, leaving O’Neill with inadequate time to recruit a direct alternative.
The supervisor has a wealth of central midfield choices – together with new signing Baur from Paderborn – however lacks a like-for-like match of Engels’ bodily profile.
Martin O’Neill hinted that Mika Baur might make his first Celtic begin towards LASK on Wednesday.
“Arne [Engels] needed to go, he did not wish to play within the matches in case he acquired injured,” continued O’Neill.
“I stated once more final week that was comprehensible if it is a transfer that he needed to make.
“However for the soccer membership, sure, it is disappointing as a result of simply at this second, he is laborious to switch within the aspect with that type of operating energy that he has and that he offers us.
“So simply even for these two video games, that is disappointing, however it’s what it’s and there is nothing we are able to do about it.
“We’re nonetheless within the means of making an attempt to do this [find a replacement] and we’ve not been in a position to get somebody in time. There are a variety of gamers that we’re taking a look at and hopefully we are going to by the top of the switch window.”