Peter Lawwell paints Adidas deal as one which grounds Celtic's future

By John McGinley

March 15, 2020

Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell is clearly optimistic following the announcement of a ‘magnificent’ new commercial partnership with kit manufacturer Adidas.

The club, in a statement on Friday, declared the deal to be “the biggest kit sponsorship ever to be announced across Scottish sport”, which is quite the achievement.

Previous reports suggested the five-year deal was worth more than £25m (The Scottish Sun), which would clearly be a massive injection of cash into the club, even taking into account the long-term nature of it and that it’s likely split into being paid per season.

It’s commercial deals like this which give the club a solid and sound footing on which to build upon and become more ambitious on and off the field, which is exactly what Lawwell suggested with his own comments.

As quoted by CelticFC.net, he said of it all: “Everyone at Celtic is delighted to be partnering with one of the dominant names in sportswear manufacturing, an organisation which represents quality and excellence.

“This is a hugely significant new partnership for Celtic and our supporters and allows us to look to the future with confidence.  To be able to create this fantastic new relationship demonstrates the strength and stability of the Club and the power of our enduring story.”

Obviously Lawwell is going to be bullish about a deal of this nature, but his comments nonetheless should please supporters and give them hope of continued dominance in Scottish football.

A confident future at Celtic looks like even more league trophies, more consistent progression in Europe and more magical players coming through the Celtic Park gates.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Chief Exec Peter Lawwell / (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

When you consider that our closest rivals Rangers recently put out what was essentially an advert for a new kit partner last month, it’s clear we are operating at a completely different level on and off the pitch.

It’s this financial disparity that has made us kings in the Scottish game and with huge brands continuing to line up and do business with us, it’s hard to see any of it changing anytime soon.

The big question is – can we start to prove our true worth in either of the European competitions?