Celtic great Kenny Dalglish has bigged up the transfer advantage the Hoops have over Rangers thanks to guaranteed Champions League football.
Ange Postecoglou and the board have been moving swiftly to get deals done already this summer with 2 players already in the door in Cameron Carter-Vickers and Ben Siegrist respectively. With Jota and Alexandro Bernabei looking to be next in the door, it’s been a fast start to the window.
This has largely been boosted by the fact Celtic have guaranteed UCL football in the bank next season. Rangers, meanwhile, have yet to sign a new player with UCL qualifiers facing them instead.
And Dalglish believes that gives Celtic a big advantage and puts Ange in a brilliant position heading into the new campaign. As quoted by the Sunday Post, Kenny said: “They [Rangers] will strengthen, of course, but not knowing if they are in the Champions League or not doesn’t give them that certainty. They may well have targets they can then go for if they make it through the qualifiers and get a hold of that £35m pot in Europe’s top competition. But I’m sure they will have a list of others if they drop down into the Europa League.
“Celtic are in a position to spend right now because they know what their income is going to be for the next six months. They have that certainty, and that’s a great position for any manager or chief executive to be in. It will be interesting to see who else big Ange adds to his squad but, like Allan McGregor across the city at Ibrox, he will do well to better the signing of Carter-Vickers in terms of quality.
“The American defender is excellent. He has a presence and is really powerful, and settled into the club very quickly. That was so important.”
Celtic looking to make transfer advantage count early doors
Celtic have already been looking to make their transfer advantage count in the early stages of the window. They were happy to splash the cash on CCV, whilst just under £4m could come out the coffers if we confirm a move for Bernabei [Sky Sports].
The Hoops know the cash they have in their bank and exactly what they’ll be able to get away with spending. It’s a big reason as to why we’ve been able to do some big business so early.
But it’s not just the certainty it gives you with regards to a budget, but also the profile of the club and how it’s boosted by direct UCL entry.
Look at it this way – would we have lured CCV here permanently if we had lost the league and fighting in the qualifiers again? I’m not so sure that would’ve been the case. We likely would’ve need to have sourced a replacement for him.
You feel Celtic are in total control here heading into July. There’s nothing going into the transfer window that will have the supporters panicking. That’s also largely down to UCL qualification too.
It can’t be underestimated just how important that’s been for our club. Over the road? They’ll be plagued with transfer uncertainty this summer.
In other news, Brazilian Report: Fenerbahce turn attentions away from Celtic-linked Vinicius Souza
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