Celtic enjoyed great success under Martin O’Neill as a result of their investment
Let’s not forget how successful that period of time under the management of Martin O’Neill was. With only one league title and four other trophies in the 12 years before that, the team went on to secure three league titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups, as well as reaching the 2003 UEFA Cup final.
But even with that success, there is absolutely no way that Celtic fans these days would be expecting a signing at any one of those new values mentioned, never mind five of them for around £250 million combined!
To highlight the risks and challenges involved, there are always signings which don’t work out. Those prove expensive for the club at the time, but at least when a relatively huge transfer fee is not involved, it’s easier to take on the chin and move on.
Would you have brought in Eyal Berkovic for a £74.3 million transfer fee?
Eyal Berkovic proved to be a disappointment when he was signed back in 1999 for a £7.92 million transfer fee at that time, and its 2019 equivalent fee would be a stunning £74.3 million. He would be Celtic’s biggest signing ever when adjusted to inflation. And of course there’s the signing of Rafael Scheidt (£6.48 million, £60.8 million in 2019).
The whole analysis shows how the football world generally has moved on in terms of money, with TV and sponsorship deals driving transfer fees, not to mention wages, higher and higher. Scottish football has lagged behind in all that, which makes the challenge for Celtic even tougher to keep up and make an impact in European competitions.
The answer lies in getting the right deals at the right transfer fees and building a great squad, which Ange Postecoglou looks to be well underway on doing right now.