Ally McCoist says he ‘loved’ former Celtic striker that they couldn’t afford now

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The days of Celtic competing financially with Premier League clubs are sadly beyond us.

It isn’t just Brendan Rodgers in this position – managers throughout Europe, including the other top leagues, simply aren’t working with the same level of budget as the English top-flight.

The Champions League used to be the most lucrative competition in football, in terms of collective prize money – for a club like Celtic, it remains a priceless financial asset.

But for clubs outside of the Premier League, excluding the very few elite clubs who tend to compete at the later stages of the Champions League, keeping a hold of world class players has become extremely difficult.

For Ally McCoist, one Celtic striker is an example of the calibre of player that used to play in Scotland, that now isn’t financially viable.

Ally McCoist on Celtic striker who he ‘loved’

The 1990s saw an explosion of European incomings to Celtic and Scottish football in general, largely thanks to rises in television money and advancements in scouting.

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Pierre van Hooijdonk and Jorge Cadete are two examples of this genre of signing – but it was another flashy 90s signing that McCoist had an affinity for.

Speaking with co-host Alan Brazil on Talksport, McCoist said: “But at that time, you boys had Di Canio and players like that. I loved Di Canio.”

“You look at it now, with the greatest respect to the Premier League and Scotland, is it now just down to money?” McCoist was asked.

“A lot of it is. It’s got to be a lack of money, lack of finance. I mean, it’s just a completely different world,” McCoist said.

Di Canio was brought to the club in 1996, having made 34 appearances for AC Milan in the season prior. A 28-year-old player of similar profile coming to Celtic Park today would be unthinkable.

Paolo Di Canio is one of just three Italians to play for Celtic

Celtic have enjoyed indulging in foreign markets for decades now, so it’s surprising to hear that Di Canio is one of just three Italians to have worn the Hoops in the modern era.

One of the others played alongside Di Canio. Enrico Annoni joined the Celts in 1997, spending two years in Glasgow before retiring.

Massimo Donati was much younger when he came to Parkhead in 2007, coming from the same club as Di Canio. He would come back to Scotland for spells with Hamilton and St Mirren a decade later.

Napoli man Giuseppe Ambrosino was linked with Celtic this summer, and could have become the fourth. He remains on the books in Naples.