Celtic’s drop from 97 goals last season to 59 this year is not a tactical issue, it is the direct result of failing to replace proven scorers, and it has left the club facing a rebuild that cannot be avoided regardless of how the title race ends.
Celtic’s goalscoring drop is not a subtle decline, it is a sharp fall that demands addressing this summer. The numbers point to a clear problem at Parkhead that now extends beyond results and into what needs to come next.
And after Celtic beat St Mirren 1-0 in the Scottish Premiership, I represented 67 Hail Hail as a guest on BBC Sportsound to deliver a warning to the Bhoys about the scale of the rebuild required at the club this summer.
Thoughts on the 1-0 win?
Is it really all just about the result?
Celtic’s failure to replace goals is the root cause of their decline
The lack of goals is not down to Celtic’s form or system, it is rooted in board decisions that removed them from the squad without replacing them. That reality has defined Celtic’s attacking numbers throughout this season’s campaign.
With no consistent source of goals emerging to fill the gap left behind by the sales of Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah, the problem at Celtic is structural and it has shaped this season.
When asked about Celtic’s drop of 97 goals from last season to 59 this season, I told BBC Sportsound, “But that’s what happens when you don’t when you don’t replace the goals that you sell.
“We didn’t replace Kyogo. Didn’t replace Nicholas Kuhn. We didn’t replace Adam Idah. For all, he had his critics, he still got his 20 goals last season. Some were big goals, and he scored big goals in Champions League as well.
“So, I mean, what’s that? That’s the best part of those goals you spoke about being taken out of the team not being replaced, and it’s reflective in the goalscoring ability of this team, because there really hasn’t been one right now.”
The loss of goals across multiple forwards has not been absorbed by the rest of the squad. Without replacement, the decline was inevitable and it now leads directly to a rebuild of significant scale.
Celtic now face a rebuild that cannot be avoided this summer
When asked if I felt like losing or even winning the title would lead to a massive overhaul over the summer, I said, “I think it doesn’t matter if we win the league or if we don’t win, well, clearly it matters that we win the league, but the overall rebuild is going to be the same.
“I mean, we’re losing almost half the team simply through loan players. And by the way, the five loan players we got in January, really only two are getting a game.
“Araujo before he got injured, and obviously Cvancara, but even Cvancara has hardly made a dent. And then when you think about trying to build for the future, we need to start thinking about getting another goalkeeper in for Kasper Schmeichel.
“I know Viljami Sinisalo is in and he’s done all right, but we still need a good backup as well. And I still think there’s work being done the right-hand side of defence and possibly right side of the attack as well.
“So there’s plenty of work to be done. It’s probably the biggest overhaul we’re going to see, bigger than when Ange Postecoglou came in.”
You can listen to the full conversation below.
The current Celtic squad structure underlines the scale of what lies ahead. Multiple positions require attention, and the balance of the group is not sustainable.
This is no longer about marginal improvements or short term fixes. The squad requires a full reset across several areas to restore the level that has clearly dropped.
That is the position Celtic now find themselves in, a goals problem created internally and a rebuild that is no longer optional and is set to be the biggest the club has faced since Ange Postecoglou arrived in 2021.
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