How Brendan Rodgers could reinvest over £2m of wages into the Celtic first-team by offloading three fringe players

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Celtic, like any other club in Europe, must comply with UEFA’s FSR rules.

FSR, more commonly known as Financial Fair Play, was put in motion by UEFA to stop member clubs like Celtic spending more than they earn so as to avoid them getting into financial trouble.

Celtic are, of course, financially stable and self-sustaining due to their excellent player-trading model and the various marketing and sponsorship deals with global giants like Adidas currently in play.

However, that doesn’t mean the club should not try to be as financially prudent as they possibly can and there is a way that Brendan Rodgers could trim over £2m from the wage bill to reinvest back into Celtic’s first-team squad.

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Celtic could find £2.18m by allowing Maik Nawrocki and two other fringe stars to leave

Playing for Celtic means that most players will find themselves handsomely paid for bringing success to the club.

However, there are three who have been nothing more than bit-part players for Celtic over the last two seasons and Rodgers should look to get them off the wage bill to reinvest back into the squad.

Luis Palma is currently on loan at Olympiacos and is due to return to Parkhead at the end of this month. Celtic’s wage bill for the first-team is the best part of £20m per season.

Palma is currently paid an eye-watering £16,000 per week by the club and has barely featured for the last 18 months.

Gustaf Lagerbielke earns a tidy £14,000 per week and has barely been seen in a Celtic jersey since his 2023 summer move.

Polish defender Maik Nawrocki is Celtic’s biggest mystery and after he completed his £4.3m move from Legia Warsaw two summers ago, the Parkhead club agreed to pay him a handsome £12,000 per week.

If Rodgers can find these three players a new club, Celtic would save £2.184m per year in wages, which could be used elsewhere in the Hoops squad.

Nawrocki, Lagerbielke and Luis Palma’s all-time Celtic appearances

Between the three of them, Palma, Lagerbielke and Nawrocki are barely seen in a Celtic jersey. So here are their all-time appearances since joining the club in 2023.

From the three, only Palma could be labelled as a success of sorts but even then, the Honduran has flattered to deceive on more than one occasion.