Celtic face financial blow after new paperwork filed – Stefan Borson
Celtic have enjoyed a strong season domestically and in the Champions League following several impressive performances.
The Glasgow side have already secured the Scottish League Cup trophy this season, while they sit top of the Scottish Premiership table and also made it through to the Champions League knockout round play-offs.
Celtic’s latest full-year accounts for 2023-24 showed their overall revenue increased from £119.9million to a new club-record figure of £124.6million.
However, they did suffer a minor hit in revenue in the first half of the 2024-25 financial year, with their turnover falling from £85.2million to £83.5million.
Celtic’s stadium operations revenue rose from £29.8million to £31.6million, while their commercial revenue dropped from £37.2million to £33.8million and merchandising slipped from £18.3million to £18.1million.
Finance expert Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider the club will find it difficult to significantly increase their overall revenue without progressing further in the Champions League.
Football Insider revealed on 23 January Celtic have landed a guaranteed £38million windfall after progressing through the revamped league phase of the European competition.
But Brendan Rodgers’s side are on course for an exit after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the first leg at Celtic Park.
Celtic must outperform their budget to reap financial rewards
Borson insisted Celtic need to outperform their wage bill, which sat at £65.6million last season, if they want to be more successful in Europe.
He told Football Insider: “There is just nowhere else to get the money from other than the Champions League.
“They are broadly selling out the stadium and they have got Champions League, which is the best they are going to get from Europe. We know it’s always going to be almost impossible for them to make considerable progress beyond the round of 16.
“For Celtic in many ways, the best outcome is what they have, which is a decent group stage plus a big play-off, so that’s a good money spinner. It’s a good season in the Champions League.
“If they got lucky with the draw, there were some teams that were in that group that were more manageable, maybe a Brest or a Club Brugge. Maybe they could have squeezed through to the round of 16, which would have been another couple of games and more prize money.
“But realistically, it’s very hard for them to get past that round, so what other levers can Celtic play with? The domestic league is not going to generate any more money than it’s currently generating.
“In Europe, they pretty much max out if they get to this stage. That is the challenge for Celtic.
“Ultimately, what they’ve got to try and do is find a way, which is not easy, to somehow get a slightly better performance out of their wage bill on their first-team squad, such that they can get themselves into and past the round of 16 of the Champions League. It’s really difficult to do.”
Celtic to blow Rangers out of the water after £23m reveal
Celtic head to Munich for their second-leg tie on Tuesday (18 February) as they go in pursuit of a historic victory and a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Rodgers’s side are already in line to earn significantly more than their Old Firm rivals Rangers in Europe this season.
Football Insider revealed on 31 January Rangers have landed a guaranteed £15million windfall from their Europa League campaign, leaving them around £23million down on Celtic’s earnings.
The Ibrox club qualified automatically for the last 16 of the competition after finishing eighth in the revamped league phase.
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