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Paul Lambert believes former club Celtic are “nowhere near good enough” without further recruitment – but has guarded against “panic”.<\/b><\/p>\n
Striker Camilo Duran is the sole summer arrival so far for the Scottish champions, while midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has signed a new contract after a short-term deal last term. Both started Saturday’s 1-1 friendly draw with Middlesbrough, Duran netting Celtic’s equaliser.<\/p>\n
Forward Kelechi Iheanacho and former left-back loanee Marcelo Saracchi, who had been linked with returns, will not be back in Glasgow this season.<\/p>\n
Iheanacho has joined Bursaspor as a free agent, while Saracchi bade farewell to Celtic fans on social media and said he and his agent “did absolutely everything within our power to make a return to Glasgow happen”.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Germany-born centre-half Maik Nawrocki, who has represented Poland up to Under-21 level and was in their provisional World Cup squad, has been sold by the Scottish champions to Lens.<\/p>\n
“The squad’s not strong enough,” Lambert told BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound.<\/p>\n
“I’ve seen Celtic, they’re nowhere near good enough at this moment in time, nowhere near it. Everybody recognises it.<\/p>\n
“They’ll compete, but I don’t think they’re strong enough to go and win it [the league] again at this moment in time. The problems were there last season, so they’re not going to change again this season.<\/p>\n
“The squad was very, very limited on what it was last season. They won’t get away with that again – the manager knows it.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n