Celtic's lack of summer signings is a concern for manager Martin O'Neill, says Alan Brazil.
The club has made just one addition, £6m striker Camilo Duran, despite being poised to bank an initial £8m, plus up to £2m in add-ons, with Daizen Maeda closing in on a move to Ipswich Town.
There are ongoing talks with Paderborn over a £4m deal for playmaker Mika Baur, and Celtic are also monitoring Egypt winger Hasseim Hassan and Bodo/Glimt forward Kasper Hogh.
However, with the Premiership season starting in 11 days and a Champions League play-off looming, former Scotland striker Brazil believes the lack of activity is a worry. Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: "I’m astonished... I dread to think what’s happening at Celtic.
"Martin can’t be sleeping at night because here we go again."
Brazil also questioned the fee accepted for Maeda, who is in the last year of his contract, and went so far as to say Celtic were fortunate to win the title last season.
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He added: "Celtic, in my opinion, were very fortunate to be champions last year. The endeavour and the heart were there, but the quality wasn’t."
He praised Rangers for their summer rebuild, suggesting it has shifted the balance of power. "You look at what Rangers are doing – and I hate to say that – Rangers look really, really strong.
"They are the team to beat next year, make no mistake."
Brazil was critical of Celtic's recruitment strategy and their depth compared to their rivals. "Our recruitment is diabolical," he said. "I don’t know who’s in charge of it, but they ought to look somewhere else because it’s not good enough.
"The strength in depth of Rangers this year… it’s going to be tough to beat them."
He warned that unless Celtic strengthen quickly, they risk a difficult start to the campaign. "It’s going to be even more difficult this season unless they get the finger out," he said.
