Kieran Maguire: Celtic could now hijack Premier League club’s deal as £3m banked
Celtic can use the lure of Champions League football to rival Premier League clubs in the transfer market this summer.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Hoops’ recruitment ambitions in the upcoming window.
Ange Postecoglou’s side, who mathematically secured the title with a 1-1 draw at Dundee United last Wednesday (11 May), lifted the Scottish Premiership trophy after a 6-0 win over Motherwell last Saturday (14 May).
They banked £3.35million in prize money for topping the league, per the SPFL’s official figures.
Scotland’s strong Uefa coefficient and the embargo on Russian teams mean Celtic have qualified automatically for the 2022-23 Champions League group stage.
And Maguire insists that this gives the Glasgow giant a major bargaining chip as they look to strengthen ahead of next term.
“The Scottish Premiership’s prize money is quite a smooth slope,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“There isn’t a significant step up in terms of finishing first or finishing second but if they are trying to compete with Premier League clubs for recruitment, this helps a lot.
“They can now say ‘well, we can pay you a decent wage plus we can offer you Champions League football.’
“Their recruitment this season seems to have been very good in terms of signing good value players anyway.”
Celtic last competed in the Champions League group stage in the 2017-18 season.
They could be joined at the top table by rivals Rangers if they win the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday (18 May).
In other news, pundit suggests Celtic vulnerable to losing Ange Postecoglou “cheaply” after contract update.