Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has played down the prospect of new arrivals before Wednesday's UEFA Champions League play-off first leg against LASK, while also signalling he would welcome midfielder Reo Hatate remaining at the club.

Speaking ahead of the home tie, O'Neill described the odds of last-minute transfer business as a "fairly decent chance of nothing happening" — this despite the club still searching for a replacement for Arne Engels, who departed for West Ham at the weekend.

Filling the Engels void

O'Neill acknowledged the difficulty of replacing Engels on short notice, admitting it will be "hard to replace his running power" when Celtic face the Austrians. The manager noted the squad had been boosted by recent arrivals Camilo Duran, Kasper Hogh, Mika Baur, and Haissem Hassan, all of whom have made promising early impressions.

Baur made his debut as a substitute in the 59th minute of Sunday's 4-0 victory at Dundee United, and O'Neill suggested the German could be handed a starting berth against LASK. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is suspended for the match, further stretching the options available in central midfield.

"It would have been nice to have kept Arne for the couple of games, because he knows the players, knows his role in the team," O'Neill said. "But it's not to be. We'll have someone else in there. It might be Baur, I'm not sure yet. He's just getting to know the team."

Hatate's place in the picture

Reo Hatate offers another midfield option, though the Japan international has featured only as an unused substitute so far this season. His last start came in a 2-0 defeat at Dundee United back in April. The 28-year-old, who joined in 2022 and has two years remaining on his contract, has drawn transfer interest — but O'Neill confirmed nothing definitive has emerged.

The Celtic manager did not hide the fact that Hatate's recent form has been a concern. "It's been a bit of a struggle for him of late," O'Neill said of the player who has collected five league titles, three Scottish Cups, and two League Cups since arriving in Glasgow.

"What I would love Reo to do is get back to the form he showed a couple of years ago when he was one of the best players in Scotland," O'Neill added. "If Reo wants to stay and battle for his place in the team and says he's capable of doing it, I have no problem with that."