Celtic head into tomorrow’s crucial European tie with real problems on the flanks.
The Israeli international played the entire 120 minutes against Dunfermline Athletic last Saturday but having picked up a knock in training may now miss the visit of the Swedish side.
It means the Hoops head into the match with no recognised right-back beyond the inexperienced Anthony Ralston available. Recent deputy in the position Kristoffer Ajer has also had his own fitness problems this week, according to the paper.
There are real problems on the left flank too, with Lennon not trusting new left-back signing Boli Bolingoli in last week’s qualifier against Cluj, instead playing midfielder Callum McGregor out of position.
The lack of depth in both full-back areas is a farcical situation ahead of a match that could determine whether Celtic compete in Europe until Christmas or not.
That they could be so negligent to let defensive options regress so badly from a position of financial strength and trophy success is a huge failing.
The expiration of Mikael Lustig’s contract at the end of last season was well known to the club in advance, as was the expiration of Cristian Gamboa’s contract and Jeremy Toljan’s loan.
The appointment of Lennon was supposed to ensure a smooth transition between seasons, not this recruitment chaos.
There is absolutely no excuse for the club not to have planned ahead and stocked Lennon’s squad with enough talent and depth to navigate some of their most important matches of the season.
Thursday’s match is a play-off encounter, not an earlier qualifying match against a minnow. It’s a huge fixture and Celtic aren’t prepared properly.
Having banked a massive £25m from the sale of left-back Kieran Tierney too, they have the muscle to make decisive moves in the market for their long-term targets.
Time will tell whether their transfer inaction costs them in Europe for the second successive week.
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