Celtic dwarf Rangers in transfer income as player trading model pays off long term

Celtic have raked in £33million from transfers over the last ten seasons, while Rangers are down £10m.

New data from the CIES Football Observatory has tracked clubs' total transfer volume (incoming and outgoing) over the last ten seasons, their net transfer spend over the same period and last five seasons, and for the current campaign. And the numbers show that the champions' player trading model is working as it's supposed to be.

The likes of Victor Wanyama, Gary Hooper, Fraser Forster, Virgil Van Dijk, Moussa Dembele, Jeremie Frimpong, Odsonne Edouard and Josip Juranovic and Jota were all sold for big money after signing for relatively little outlay. And Kieran Tierney's £25million switch to Arsenal in 2019 was pure profit after coming through the ranks. By comparison, Rangers' outgoings have resulted in far more modest fees over the last decade. Only Nathan Patterson's move to Everton, Calvin Bassey's club record transfer to Ajax and Joe Aribo joining Southampton brought in significant amounts.

Coupled with the Gers' spending, that's amounted to a £10m transfer deficit over the last ten years. Things appeared to be moving in the right direction, with a +£7m net spend for the last five seasons, with Celtic only slightly ahead on +£9m.

However, this campaign, the Light Blues are down £5million after Michael Beale's summer splurge. Celtic meanwhile, are in the black by £6m.

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