Celtic have been under pressure from their fans since last summer because of the club’s limited transfer activity before the Champions League play-offs. They also missed out at the same stage last season after losing to Kairat Almaty.
Kasper Hogh, Camilo Duran, Haissem Hassan and Mika Baur joined the club before the match against LASK. However, key figures Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels departed for Ipswich Town and West Ham United, respectively.
“The Champions League is a major attraction, especially for many young players,” O’Neill said.
“The Europa League may not carry the same status, but it remains an excellent tournament. Of course, the financial impact is also extremely important.”
Looking back on Tuesday’s deeply disappointing defeat, O’Neill acknowledged that Celtic should have settled the contest before the interval, when they held a 4-1 aggregate advantage.
“Our performance after half-time was not good enough,” O’Neill said.
“Ultimately, the result matters most, and we lost. I am clearly disappointed in myself and need to review everything carefully once more.
“Perhaps we could have protected our penalty area more effectively. Before assessing anyone else, I must first consider my own responsibility.
“We must respond without delay. That is essential, and we now need to demonstrate genuine resilience.”
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