Celtic face Europa League registration dilemma

Celtic face a major selection call this week as Europa League registration rules force Martin O’Neill to leave two of his five January signings out of his squad for the knockout stages.

UEFA allow clubs to add a maximum of three new players to their 25-man list before the play-off tie against VfB Stuttgart, with the deadline set for midnight on Thursday, 5 February. Celtic added Tomas Cvancara, Junior Adamu, Julian Araujo, Joel Mvuka, and Benjamin Arthur in the winter window, meaning at least two of them must miss out in Europe.

The current squad list already carries its own complications. Celtic must reserve eight places for locally trained or homegrown players and, up to now, have only used 24 of the 25 available slots in order to stay inside those rules. Three goalkeepers are registered – Kasper Schmeichel, Viljami Sinisalo, and Ross Doohan – and all are expected to remain, as European campaigns rarely travel with fewer than that number.

In defence, Alistair Johnston, Liam Scales, Auston Trusty, Dane Murray, Anthony Ralston, Marcelo Saracchi, and Kieran Tierney are listed. Johnston is still recovering from injury and could return in March, but there is a strong case for swapping him out temporarily for Araujo, who has already impressed since joining and is match-fit now. That is one of the key choices facing O’Neill.

Midfield contains Reo Hatate, Yang, Luke McCowan, Arne Engels, Paulo Bernardo, Callum McGregor, and Benjamin Nygren. If a current player has to be sacrificed to open space, Hatate looks the likeliest candidate. The Japanese midfielder has struggled badly this season, with many supporters unconvinced he meets the required standard on current form.

MORE: Andy Robertson poised for Liverpool extension but Celtic must keep an eye

Celtic face Europa League registration dilemma

Up front, the registered names are James Forrest, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Kelechi Iheanacho, Sebastian Tounekti, Johnny Kenny, Callum Osmand, and Daizen Maeda. This picture has already shifted. Kenny has left on loan to Bolton, freeing one spot. Osmand, who was added to the squad earlier in the season when Cameron Carter-Vickers was ruled out long-term, has since suffered a hamstring injury and will almost certainly be removed.

Balikwisha is another obvious candidate to drop out. His debut season has been widely viewed as poor, and with multiple new attacking options arriving, his chances of playing meaningful minutes in Europe look slim.

All of those points towards a likely Europa League trio from the winter arrivals: Cvancara, Araujo, and Adamu. Cvancara has already become a fan favourite, with an assist at Hearts and a goal on his Celtic Park debut. Araujo offers energy and balance at right-back in a team that has had to cope without Johnston. Adamu’s ability to play as a central striker and on either wing gives O’Neill valuable flexibility in tight two-legged ties.

Mvuka and Arthur, by contrast, seem the most likely to miss out. Mvuka will have a clearer path to minutes in domestic fixtures, but in Europe, his role overlaps with others. Arthur is yet to show whether he will feature regularly at all, and at this stage looks more like bench cover than a guaranteed contributor.

MORE: Celtic faces a brutal February schedule in the title fight

The expected exits from the list, then, are Kenny and Osmand – already out of the picture through loan and injury – plus one of Hatate or Balikwisha if an extra space is needed to fit all three priority signings. Dropping Johnston is extremely unlikely given his potential March return and long-term importance.