'Big clubs will be looking...' - Expert now worried by what Nicholson & Ange are doing at Celtic

Celtic’s transfer model under CEO Michael Nicholson and manager Ange Postecoglou will mean they miss out on large incoming transfer fees for talented academy prospects, according to finance expert Dr Dan Plumley, speaking to Football Insider.

This comes after a report from The Athletic confirmed that the Hoops will receive just £600,000 in compensation for highly-rated winger Ben Doak.

The 16-year-old is set to join Premier League giants Liverpool, having made only two senior appearances for Postecoglou’s side this season.

Unlike the £25million fee received following Kieran Tierney’s switch to Arsenal (Sky Sports), the Glasgow club have been left short in the Doak deal, and Plumley fears it is becoming a recurring trend.

Speaking to FI, Dr Plumley claims that Celtic’s youth-focused model means clubs south of the border may continue to exploit the rules.

“It’s largely because of Fifa regulations.

“England and Scotland are classed as different countries and they can settle on a compensation fee which is far lower than a transfer fee.

“Celtic do this in reverse as well, so you have to be mindful of it in this model. The player has a choice to stay at Celtic and develop into a £20m-plus player or move on and do the same at another club.

“Celtic have to be aware that big clubs will be looking at their players and are well placed to capitalise.

“For every Tierney, you manage to keep and sell for a big fee, you might have a few of these along the way.”

Ultimately it would appear that there is very little Celtic or Nicholson can do about Premier League clubs attempting to cherry-pick their most prodigious talents.

At present, the Bhoys boast a wealth of promising youngsters in the likes of Johnny Kenny, Karamoko Dembele and Dane