For all the talk of new signings and recruitment, the difference year-in, year-out in the Premiership has arguably been the presence of Celtic's experienced core.

At Ibrox, Rangers have hardly had any semblance of consistency, led for so long, before this season, by the polarising figure of James Tavernier, a man who, checks notes, claimed just a solitary top-flight title in over a decade.

The contrast couldn't be more stark at Parkhead, the Bhoys blessed with a true leader in the form of Callum McGregor, the skipper having long been the standard-bearer amid this relentless pursuit of domestic dominance.

Even now, at 33, McGregor remains integral to Martin O'Neill's side, and while his own performance has come under the microscope of late, there's bigger fish to fry right now.

Why Callum McGregor isn't the problem at Celtic

It's been a rough week or so, it must be said, with McGregor having been central to that, arguably given the run around by Dan Neil and co in the derby, while culpable for Ferencvaros' second of the night last week.

And yet, after over 12 years in the first team, and 11 league titles, the veteran midfielder has surely earned a little respect and leniency, having no doubt been let down by his struggling teammates.

Indeed, in the collapse against LASK, the captain was arguably the brightest performer, the 33-year-old lasting the full 120 minutes while Celtic's walking wounded - be it Cameron Carter-Vickers or Kieran Tierney - merely wilted all around him.

The reality is that O'Neill's men have come undone amid the failure, once again, to find a suitable partner to McGregor in midfield, there having been a clear drop-off since Arne Engels was prematurely sold on to West Ham United.

Oliver Sorensen wasn't even in the squad last time out, while for all Mika Baur's merits, the German feels like more of a McGregor successor in waiting than the box-to-box powerhouse that the club are crying out for.

The captain does need to up his game, undoubtedly, but it's hard to know where this club would be without him. The mind always goes back to the Scot reminding Kasper Hogh and Auston Trusty not to get too carried away after the win over Kilmarnock. How right he was.

Yes, at some stage, Celtic will need to phase him out of the team, but there are others who should be sent packing before him.

Why Celtic man finally needs to be sold in 2027

Recruitment is the key talking point again at Parkhead, but what of the academy? Where's the next McGregor set to come from?

The long-serving skipper, alongside James Forrest and Tierney, stand alone as the only real academy success stories of the last ten to 15 years in Glasgow, a dismal record for a historic club famed for its production of youngsters.

Perhaps Colby Donovan will break the mould and follow in the footsteps of that trio, but the teenager still has a long way to go yet.

Indeed, there's the case of Anthony Ralston to look to, the 27-year-old having been something of a late bloomer at Celtic under Ange Postecoglou's watch, although he has now arguably outstayed his welcome.

On the books at the club since way back in 2007, Ralston made his senior debut way back in May 2016, having spent part of that season out on loan at Queen's Park.

Between 2016/17 and 2020/21, the young right-back never made more than seven first-team appearances for the club in a single campaign, albeit while having spent part of that time out on loan at Dundee United and St Johnstone.

It wasn't until Postecoglou's arrival that the Bellshill-born defender surprisingly forced his way into the first-team picture, proving a relatively solid understudy to the likes of Josip Juranovic and Alistair Johnston.

He certainly has his merits, but so too does he have his flaws, with 2025/26 proving a particularly difficult one for Ralston, not least amid his shift to right centre-back under Wilfried Nancy.

In the absence of Johnston, the drop-off really was stark across the season in general, with Ralston failing to register a single goal or assist in the Premiership, while also failing to create a single 'big chance'.

For context, the year prior, Johnston had racked up 14 goal involvements from right-back, while creating 15 'big chances'.

The situation has only worsened for Ralston this time around, even with Johnston again on the treatment table, his three appearances this season all coming from the bench, and all coming in Europe.

The fact he did get the nod ahead of new man Jordan Lotomba against Ferencvaros perhaps doesn't exactly bode well for the ex-Feyenoord full-back, but even so, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Lotomba eventually move above Ralston in that right-back pecking order.

He's firmly behind Donovan in any case, with 12 games of the season played, ensuring that Celtic should be considering whether to cash in in January.

Reports over the summer suggested that talks were set to be held regarding a contract extension, with his existing deal set to expire in June, but pursuing a sale would surely be the better bet.

The only issue is as to whether the Bhoys would secure any form of transfer fee, with Ralston currently valued at just €1.5m (£1m), as per Transfermarkt, falling below even a veteran McGregor (€2m) as one of the lowest-value players in the squad.

He's been a solid servant, yet if Celtic really want to kick on and raise the level of this squad, Ralston should be one of the first players out the door in 2027.