Keith Wyness: The hidden way Rangers and Celtic will benefit if Hearts win the league
Rangers and Celtic have been told they could actually benefit from the likes of Hearts challenging for league titles.
Both Glasgow sides have had difficult starts to the season, with Derek McInnes’ side taking advantage to put themselves top of the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League in August, and have now drawn three out of their last five games in all competitions.
However, it is even more disastrous for Rangers, with Russell Martin on the verge of the sack at Ibrox as his side sit 11th in the table.
Rangers and Celtic will improve if there is more competition
Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that a more competitive Scottish Premiership could benefit the Glasgow pair in Europe.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that both Celtic and Rangers will be more prepared for the Champions League with the likes of Hearts challenging them domestically.
The last time a club other than Rangers and Celtic won the Scottish Premiership was back in 1985, when Aberdeen were crowned champions under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Wyness added that stronger competition could force the Hoops and the Gers to invest more heavily.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Celtic are starting to see Hearts as competitors. And so that will be the one thing that will force them to invest.
“I always tried when I was there to try and get a much more competitive SPL. I’d always said that if you have a more competitive Scottish league, Rangers and Celtic themselves will become stronger, and they will be more prepared for Europe if they’re in a competitive league situation.
“Having just those two fighting it out all the time was never healthy. But they’re very short-sighted in my view in terms of the fact that they don’t see the benefit that a strong competitive league could give them.
“The competition from Hearts could force their hand in terms of more expenditure on pipelines for new youth products or a couple of players. It’s something that Celtic and Rangers could have to face up to fairly soon.”
Celtic could lose Brendan Rodgers
As a result of their lack of investment, Celtic could be forcing manager Brendan Rodgers out of the club.
The Scotsman is growing frustrated after a poor summer transfer window, sparking rumours of a potential exit.
Rodgers’ current Celtic contract runs out at the end of the season, and there is no indication yet that there have been talks over a renewal.
There is a feeling that if a Premier League club came in for the former Liverpool and Leicester City boss, then he would be inclined to make the switch back to England.
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