Celtic captain Callum McGregor isn't just one of the most intelligent players on the pitch in Scottish football; he's also one of the smartest off it. The skipper does a lot of talking on behalf of the club and the squad because he tends to make the most sense. McGregor is not a man who will trip himself up and attract daft headlines – no matter how hard us sneaky hacks try – because he knows his words carry extra weight given his role at the club.
That's what made his interview with a group of journalists back at the end of April so incredible. He knew it as well. When it got to the point about his own future, McGregor took a deep breath, took a large sip of water and then decided it was time to get a few things off his chest. It's those words that come to mind today, with Celtic set to return for pre-season training – and the captain's message as yet unheeded.
When asked about speculation linking him with a move away, the second most decorated player in the club's history laid out his conditions in no uncertain terms. He said: 'We have to continue to push and be as good as we can possibly be. I don't want to sit here and be a Celtic captain who's not winning anything. And I've been honest with everyone in that conversation. The people inside the club know it. So if we're not going to be the best version of Celtic then I don't want to be the guy who's not winning any trophies. That's not me and not who I am. We can't then just say, right okay we managed to survive that, everything's great, let's just keep it as it is. I think there has to be a continual push to be better, to have as good a squad as possible, pushing in all the different areas of the club to try and make us an elite level football club.'
What Has Changed in 64 Days?
The big question now, 64 days on, is, what's changed? Because right now it looks like absolutely nothing. Celtic are about to come out of pre-season storage with more questions when the people who have stumped up for season tickets are craving answers. The captain might too. Penny for his thoughts if he pitches up for training in the coming days to see Martin O'Neill clutching a stop watch and a bag of balls, with only a couple of youth coaches bumped up for company. Even if – as expected – Shaun Maloney and Martin Fotheringham do finally get sorted. The fact that it's taken five weeks to nail down the manager and his backroom team – which will still be at least one short – doesn't exactly scream organised.
A chunk of the squad will be absent, either at the World Cup or having an extra week after playing internationals in early June. The loan recruits are all gone, as are a couple of fringe men who have been punted. Out of contract Kelechi Iheanacho is posting videos playing with his pals on pubic parks while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's wife is wearing a Celtic strip at TRNSMT while not knowing if her man will be pulling one next season.
Rivals Move Ahead
Meanwhile Motherwell have followed a 'data-led' approach to replacing Jens Berthel Askou, Rangers have swapped bosses and signed a proven goal-scorer and Hearts have quickly replaced the guy Gers nicked and also snapped up eight new signings. Rangers have a manager, a coaching staff, a set piece coach, a performance director and a technical director. Likewise, Hearts have a large support staff that's supplemented by Tony Bloom's transfer chart code. The Jambos have got the Jamestown Analytics rolling. Celtic's Dennistoun Analytics needs 50p thrown in the metre.
Is this what McGregor had in mind when he talked about 'ambition'? Is this going to put the skipper's mind at ease with the Premiership kick-off five weeks away and little over 50 days until the Champions League qualifier? Is haggling over the singing of a back-up left back who proved he was up to the task of lightening the load on Kieran Tierney an elite move? Unlikely.
McGregor's Future in Doubt
The prospect of McGregor heading out the door should keep Celtic fans up at night, especially when it looks inevitable star turns such as Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels will be going and big bids will be flying in for Alistair Johnston and Benjamin Nygren. McGregor helped dragged the side over the line last term and was every bit as important to the success as O'Neill and his team – if not more so. It was the captain who got his team back on track in those last few games. He was a manager on the pitch, an inspiration in the dressing room and in the matches. But he could be forgiven for feeling his Herculean efforts are not being matched elsewhere at the club.
No one could blame him if he decided that two weeks after his 33rd birthday he was too old for any more nonsense like last term. All of these basics should have been in place a week after the last season finished but there is still time to catch up. But if the wheels don't start turning quickly, the smart move might be for McGregor leave them to it.
