This week’s £26 million trade of Matt O’Riley from Celtic to Brighton set a record for Scottish transfers. SNS Group | Cr: SNS Group
This week’s £26 million trade of Matt O’Riley from Celtic to Brighton set a record for Scottish transfers.
The majority of clubs in the nation would consider it a major setback to lose a top player who contributed 31 goals to the team last season, especially with only four days remaining in the transfer window. Regarding the Celtics, however, the £26 million deal for Matt O’Riley to Brighton merely gives the Hoops hiring staff one more chance to demonstrate their indisputable talent in the market.
Although it may be difficult to accept, O’Riley going to Brighton thus late in the transfer window is not the kind of move for which Celtic is unprepared or inexperienced. Actually, the most amazing thing about the Hoops’ hiring over the past ten years has been their ability to retain the top rank in the Scottish Premiership while realizing enormous profits on important players. When you factor in their Champions League money from this season, Celtic appear nearly unbeatable both on and off the field.
Philippe Clement, the manager of the Rangers, does not enjoy the luxury of a well-functioning hiring staff. His summer rebuild plan has been derailed, as the Belgian concedes that the Gers need to sell in order to acquire. Although a 6-0 victory over Ross County over the weekend may have lifted morale a little, Gerrard’s club still doesn’t seem ready to contend for the Scottish Premiership title against a Celtic team that appears to be significantly better than any other team in the division.
The Light Blues are attempting to go in the same direction. Their recruitment strategy has changed with the additions of Connor Barron, Jefte, and Mohamed Diomande, but their Old Firm opponents are already significantly superior in that area. Their strategy is uncomplicated. Seek out talent, close a sale, grow, and profitably sell while searching the world for the right replacement. The Hoops look so far ahead because they are professionals at something that may seem basic.
Here, we compare the largest transfer earnings made by Celtic and Rangers over the past ten years.
Earlier this week, Matt O’Riley paid £26 million to join Brighton. Cr: FC Brighton. | FC Brighton
From Celtic to Crystal Palace: Odsonne Edouard
In the summer of 2018, the Frenchman reportedly paid £8 million to sign a permanent deal at Celtic Park after spending a season on loan there. Weeks after arriving, Edouard was named to the Golden Boy award shortlist. He went on to win four league titles, three Scottish Cups, two Scottish League Cups, and 89 goals in his four seasons with Celtic. When they sold him to Crystal Palace for £14 million, the Hoops made a profit of £5 million.
Glen Kamara: Leeds United vs. Rangers
The Finnish midfielder, affectionately referred to as “£50k Glen,” was one of Steven Gerrard’s best acquisitions at Rangers in terms of value per dollar. For a small cost, Rangers acquired the elegant midfield player from Dundee. He played a crucial role in their unbeatable 20/21 team, leading the midfield during some of the team’s best games under their former boss. fell out of favor under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, but upon joining Leeds United last summer, he made a £5.45 million profit. There were also rumors that the club incorporated a sell-on provision in the agreement, which would have helped them when he moved to Rennes for £8.6 million this summer. An unusually astute hiring move at Ibrox.
Joe Aribo: Southampton to Rangers
Upon his contract at EFL League One team Charlton Athletic expiring, the young Nigerian, one of Rangers’ finest players of the modern age, moved to Ibrox on a Bosman free deal. With the team, he went on to win a league title and the Scottish Cup. He also played a crucial part in leading the team to the Europa League final in 2022, where he scored the game-winning goal against Eintracht Frankfurt. When he was sold that summer, the club gained about £6 million in profit.
Liel Abada: Charlotte FC to Celtic
The Israeli winger left Celtic earlier this year to join Charlotte FC in the Major League Soccer. Due to “personal reasons,” Abada was excluded from the Hoops squad during the tumultuous final few months of his time in Glasgow because of the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Even though it was evident that Abada had to go on for the sake of both sides, the Celtic board managed to turn a healthy profit on the player, who was sold for £10 million after only being acquired from Maccabi Petah Tikva for £3.6 million just 2.5 years prior.
Bayer Leverkusen to Celtic via Jeremie Frimpong
The Dutch international, who is now ranked among the top wingers in Europe, would undoubtedly want a much larger price than the £9.7 million Celtic paid Bayer Severeness in January 2021. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old is among the club’s greatest acquisitions during the previous ten years. Frimpong was acquired by the Hoops for a pittance of £350k from Manchester City, where he thrived until being traded to the Bundesliga. Celtic executives are also believed to have added a sell-on fee to the agreement, meaning that if Imposing is ever sold by Severeness, the club will get 30% of the proceeds.
Brentford to Celtic via Kristoffer Ajer
The huge Norwegian centre-half had a difficult season in his last year at Celtic Park, but he was generally a productive player for the team in Brendan Rodgers’ first season in Glasgow East End. After a brief loan stint with Kilmarnock, Ajer was a steal for under £650k, and he never looked back, winning nine domestic trophies and being selected to the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. Along with making his breakthrough internationally, he spent his time with the Hoops before heading to Brent ford for a reported £13.5 million. made Celtic £12.85 million in profit on the defender, making it another wise addition to the team.
With Celtic, Kristopher Amer took home nine domestic championships
The Portuguese attacker was a magician during his two years at Park head, and he is arguably the best acquisition Ange Postcolonial ever made during his tenure at Celtic. The fact that his huge move ended up being to the Saudi Pro League, where he is currently squandered on the bench, may have been the worst letdown of his time at the club. After paying Benefice merely £6.5 million for the player’s services, the club made £18.5 million profit on him, and a year later, they sold him to Al-Hadith for £25 million. has been rumoured to be returning to Celtic and linked to a move to the English Premier League in recent years.
Mousse Dembele: Lyon to Celtic
During his first stint at Celtic Park, Brendan Rodgers signed a number of successful players, including the prolific French attacker. Dembele, who joined the team for a compensation price of £500k from Fulham, scored 51 goals in 96 outings for the Hoops before leaving for Ligue 1 team Lyon for a whopping £19.7 million. At barely 28 years old, he currently plays for Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, where he is coached by former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard.
Calvin Bassey: Ajax to Rangers
In the summer of 2022, Rangers’ record selling, Bassey, went to Ajax for £19.6 million, making a windfall for the Ibrox club. His £17.7 million move to Fulham a year later is also believed to have benefited them, since there was a rumored 10% sell-on fee included in the agreement. The English defender, who played just 37 league games for the team, was a huge recruitment success for the organization. He was acquired from Leicester City for a pitiful sum of just £230k, and he was sold for a profit of £19.37 million.
Rangers made a sizable profit thanks to Calvin Bassey. | SNS Group
Matt O’Riley: Brighton to Celtic
Finally, but just as importantly, O’Riley’s move to Brighton on Monday constituted Celtic’s record sale and yielded the club’s largest profit to date. After arriving from MK Dons for a bargain £1.5 million, the Denmark midfielder was a revelation for both Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers. When he departed the Hoops 29 months later, the team had generated an incredible £24.5 million profit.
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