Celtic's European push stalls Premier League bids, O'Neill says

At Parkhead, Martin O'Neill urged his newly‑signed forwards Arne Engels and Alistair Johnston to clinch Celtic’s Champions League place before entertaining any Premier League overtures.

By JOHN MCGARRY, SCOTTISH CHIEF SPORTS FEATURE WRITER. Published: 23:23 BST, 3 August 2026 | Updated: 23:56 BST, 3 August 2026. The manager said the priority is European qualification before any big moves to England.

Engels has already been the subject of a failed bid from West Ham, while Celtic brace for a bumper offer from Everton for Johnston.

Celtic were paired with Austrian champions LASK in the play‑off round yesterday, and O'Neill stressed that progression to the group stage must come before chasing two huge transfer fees.

‘Ideally that would be brilliant, that would be really good,’ O'Neill said. ‘Selfishly, that would be great for the club.’

Premier League chase tests O’Neill as Celtic fight to keep duo

Celtic’s title defence began with a 1‑0 win over Dundee, Benjamin Nygren’s second‑half header securing the three points, though O'Neill felt the performance fell short of expectations.

Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran made their debuts, and Alistair Johnston played the full 90 minutes in the opening victory, highlighting the lack of incoming transfer activity.

O'Neill added that new signings are essential, especially with the home leg against LASK due in a fortnight, and he wants fresh players to be ready for that challenge.

Hogh said it was “nice to get a debut and I’m happy with the win,” while O'Neill replied that the pitch was grass, not plastic, and that Hogh would adapt.

Dundee boss Steven Pressley praised his side, saying, “I asked for a performance full of endeavour and spirit and I thought we got that in abundance.”