Soaring Celtic statement roars 'we are loaded' and pressure to stop them is a lot for Michael Beale to bear - Hugh Keevins

Celtic’s statement to the Stock Exchange on Thursday afternoon could’ve been easily summarised as Jota jargon for the benefit of the balance sheet.

It said: “Celtic now expects earnings for the year ended 30 June 2023 will be significantly higher than expectations, which were formed before the conclusion of the season and prior to player disposals.” “Significantly higher” can be quantified as the £25million pocketed from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad in exchange for the Portuguese winger.

“Player disposal” is the bean counters’ way of describing a transfer in financial analyst terms but it doesn’t quite tell the full significance of the story. It’s like me describing my wife of the last 52 years as my significant other and not going into greater depth. The fee for the player disposed of, added to the considerable sums of money Celtic already have in the bank, estimated at £50million, means the club’s statement could’ve easily been abbreviated.

It could’ve simply said: “We are loaded.” Eight of the top 10 outgoing transfer fees paid for players in Scotland over the last 10 years have gone into Celtic’s account.

And they’ve used the money wisely to win all but one of the league titles played for over the same period of time. The one they didn’t win, of course, was the one they wanted most of all because it would have given them Ten in a Row.

Michael Beale was in on the act of depriving Celtic on that occasion and the pressure on him to once again deny the club with more money than the rest of the Premiership’s clubs put together will be enormous in the season ahead. I wouldn’t pretend to know how much money Rangers have in the bank but I’m guessing qualification for the group stage of the Champions League is a financial