Earlier today, I wrote a piece about Luke McCowan and the Arne Engels Experiment. In that article, I pointed out that one of the reasons we’re trying to convert Engels into an attacking midfielder is because Callum McGregor occupies the holding midfield role.
As captain and the best midfielder in the country, he’s untouchable in that position. With an embarrassment of riches in midfield, it makes sense to adapt Engels into a more attacking role to get the best out of the squad.
This adaptation allows Engels—and Bernardo—to also drop back and play deeper when needed, giving the squad an almost perfect sense of balance.
So, imagine my surprise when someone sent me an article referencing Pat Bonner’s recent comments.
Bonner thinks Celtic will go out in January and sign a first team holding midfielder.
I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it seems highly unlikely. If we were planning to bring in a holding midfielder, what would be the point of converting Engels into an attacking player? Engels is already capable of playing in that role—he’s done it before and can do it again.
But it’s not just the lack of logic in Bonner’s suggestion that makes it baffling. This is the same man who, just last week, was advising Lennon Miller not to sign for Celtic because the midfield is too congested. So, on the one hand, he says there’s no room in our midfield, and on the other, he thinks we’ll sign a holding midfielder in January?
What did I say about his comments? He and Wilson and others are telling Lennon Miller he’s not good enough to get into our team. This proves it conclusively. He thinks Miller can’t do it but that someone else could come in and do it instead.
Bonner seems to think this move would push McGregor further up the pitch. But at what cost? Who does he expect to drop out to accommodate that? Which one of Hatate, Bernardo, Engels, or McCowan is he suggesting we sideline to make this work?
We currently rotate four players for two attacking midfield slots, and that works. But we’re not going to rotate those four players for one of those slots. Since we only play with one defensive midfielder, if that’s not McGregor, and McGregor is in the team every week, then that’s the balancing act the manager has to try and cope with.
This is why the talk around Lennon Miller includes loaning him back to Motherwell for at least six months if we sign him. The logic is clear, but Bonner doesn’t seem to have thought through his own argument. It’s astonishing that he hasn’t stopped to consider what he’s actually saying.
I’ll be amazed if we sign a defensive midfielder in January, especially with Engels already in the building. To me, the priority is obvious: wide left. Everyone agrees this is the most pressing need, and Rodgers is said to have told a gathering of Celtic fan investors exactly that.
Additionally, there’s been discussion about whether we’ll sign a left-back if Greg Taylor decides to move on. Rodgers made an interesting comment the other day: “You don’t wait for the future before you plan for the future.”
He might have been referring to McGregor eventually hanging up his boots, but that’s still three or four years away. More likely, he was talking about what we need to do right now to prepare for potential changes next season.
The most glaring issue is replacing our left-sided defenders in the event we have to, and Brendan will already know whether they will be at the club next season or not. That’s why I believe any transfer business in January will focus on the left side of the pitch.
This makes good sense. There’s been talk about signing a striker, but I can’t imagine where these ideas are coming from. If you want to complete this Celtic side, you sign a left-back and a left-winger. That will cover business until someone key departs and needs to be replaced.
He’s bland, he’s biddable, he’s the token Tim at BBC Scotland sport, and he’s not too bright.
He wouldn’t be there otherwise.
We are fine in midfield. McCowan and Engles need to be sat down with videos of CalMac and told to look at how plays that role. In the meantime the two of them can develop under CalMac and Rodgers.
On air last week , I think before the Brugges game, Pat was asked about young talent emerging at Parkhead and said there were no young strikers coming through. Tom English immediately interrupted and said ‘Daniel Cummings! and oh by the way he has just scored yet again in Europe ‘ Pat flapped around and changed the subject. I was astounded ..He clearly had no clue about Cummings .
He is either lazy and just turning up at games in a pundit role with Zero preparation and he has no insights and relationships on the inside at Lennoxtown or he really has completely lost the plot.
Your thinking and analysis of the dynamics at play in the Celtic midfield and Brendan’s options are miles ahead of the drivel he is spouting on this subject including Lennon Miller.(who btw… in my opinion is a long way away from getting a game in that team )
We all love Pat…. but it’s a poor show if his current contributions are the best an ‘ambassador’ of Celtic can provide to a national audience on the BBC. He has to up his game big time
Must be me, watched Millar against Hibs at the weekend. Did not see anything sparkling.
The talk has been endless about pushing McGregor forward, it’s not hap. He’s seen off plenty of good players that have wanted his position so Engels has to adapt. When McGregor had a rare injury, we seen the best of Iwata but as soon as McGregor was fit again he was always taking that place back. He can rotate within the midfield within a game but will always be our starting CDM