Celtic have officially surpassed Rangers to become Scotland’s most successful club.
On the field, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers secured the Parkhead club’s 119th trophy in their history after leading the Bhoys to victory over Rangers in the League Cup final last December.
Rodgers now boasts eight winners’ medals as he aims to further widen the gap between Celtic and Rangers by clinching another league title and, hopefully, adding the Scottish Cup to their collection this season.
Off the field, Celtic are in a robust financial position, having announced post-tax profits of over £26 million this month, with more than £65 million in the Celtic Park bank account.
These profits have been bolstered by shrewd sponsorship deals negotiated by the Celtic hierarchy and an exceptional player-trading model, which BBC pundit Allan Preston has highlighted as a significant advantage over Rangers, sending a stark warning to Ibrox boss Philippe Clement.
Philippe Clement told that Celtic’s recruitment has been ‘miles ahead’ of Rangers’ for ‘many years’
Preston said on BBC Radio Scotland: “I just think your manager dies by his recruitment, I’m afraid. Celtic have got miles better recruitment and they have done so for many, many years.
“I just look at my Maeda, £1.3 million, Hatate £2 million. Kyogo was £4.5m and sold for £10m.
“Matt O’Riley was £800k, sold for £25m, Jota was £8m and sold for £25m. Go back. Go back years. When I was playing, they paid £50k for Didier Agathe, they paid £600k for Larsson, they paid £300k for Moravcik.
“Their recruitment over the years has been miles ahead of Rangers and that’s their biggest problem and that’s the biggest hurdle that Philippe Clement has got to overcome. He’s got to get better recruitment.”
While some of Preston’s figures may be slightly off, Celtic fans understand the broader point he is making. The club has meticulously developed its player-trading model over decades, and Rangers currently fall far short of that standard.
Celtic’s best-ever transfer sales
Celtic have completed several high-profile transfers, generating millions of pounds for the club over the years. Here are some of their most lucrative deals:
- Fraser Forster sold to Southampton for £10m
- Jeremie Frimpong sold to Bayer Leverkusen for £10m
- Liel Abada sold to Charlotte FC for £10m
- Kyogo Furuhashi sold to Rennes for £10m
- Virgil van Dijk sold to Southampton for £11.5m
- Victor Wanyama sold to Southampton for £12.5m
- Kristoffer Ajer sold to Brentford for £13.5m
- Odsonne Edouard sold to Crystal Palace for £14m
- Kieran Tierney sold to Arsenal for £25m
- Jota sold to Al-Ittihad for £25m
- Matt O’Riley sold to Brighton for £26m (rising to potentially £30m)
These deals underscore Celtic’s ability to identify, develop, and sell talent at a profit, a strategy that has kept them financially strong and competitive both domestically and in European competitions.
