Michael Beale’s claim that Ange Postecoglou is LUCKY he’s able to spend big to build the Celtic squad he wants will draw predictable responses from either side of Glasgow.
Rangers fans will lap it up, insisting that Beale is right and that Postecoglou enjoys a significant financial advantage and therefore should really be winning trophies. It’s one that the other ten Scottish Premiership clubs can justifiably aim at both of the Old Firm. Celtic fans will point out that they’ve built up significant financial reserves over the last decade or so while Rangers were working their way back through the divisions from Scottish football's bottom tier.
But just how does Postecoglou’s spending compare to that of the three Ibrox managers he’s faced since rocking up at Parkhead from Yokohama F Marinos 18 months ago? Record Sport looks at the cash spent by the champions in relation to their city rivals.
Ange's transfer spend
Osaze Urhoghide (£200k development fee)
Not strictly a Postecoglou signing, but the cash still came out off his budget given the former Sheffield Wednesday man arrived the same summer. A modest £200k won't have broken the bank and was relatively low risk, which didn’t pay off as the defender failed to make an impact, playing just once in the first team.
Liam Shaw (£300k development fee)
Similar to Urhoghide, his transfer was agreed before Postecoglou arrived. £300k was another small outlay, and Shaw failed to establish himself as a Celtic player. He appeared more than Urhoghide, but has spent most of his time out on loan with Motherwell and now Morecambe.
Liel Abada (£3.5million)
The Israeli winger has been a big success since making the move from his homeland at a young age. A man for the big occasion (specifically, at the back post), he’s developed a habit of scoring against Rangers. 24 goals and 15 assists in 84 appearances are impressive stats for one so young and he’s likely to bank Celtic significantly more than what they paid for him when he does move on.
Josip Juranovic (£2.5million)
Might not be a Celtic player much longer, but the Hoops are set to cash in big time on the Croatian full-back. He was attracting interest anyway, but an impressive World Cup meant there were even more eyes on him as Croatia reached the semi-finals. A host of clubs are sniffing around and the £2.5million Celtic paid Legia Warsaw for him will be dwarfed by the next transfer fee he commands.
Carl Starfelt (£4 million)
The Swede got off to a shaky start after arriving for big money from Russia. He’s still to convince everyone, but a successful partnership with Cameron Carter-Vickers has gone some way to justifying the spend. Still prone to wobbly moments and there’s an argument to be made that better defenders could have been sourced for what Celtic paid, but the returns in terms of trophies can’t really be argued with.
Kyogo (£4.6million)
A revelation since arriving, the Japanese forward has been Celtic’s main source of goals. On course to finish as the leagues top scorer this year, he’s continuing his pre-injury form from last season. Another for big goals in big games, as a League Cup final double against Hibs and strikes against rangers, including in Monday’s 2-2 draw, have proved.
Joe Hart (£1million)
Before Hart’s signing, the goalkeeping situation at Celtic had become something of a running joke. Craig Gordon knocked back reduced terms to return to Hearts and his form there before breaking his leg only highlighted how wrong Celtic got it by signing Vasillis Barkas for £5million. However, Hart has brought leadership and reliability between the sticks for a relatively small fee, even if his wages won’t have come cheap.
Liam Scales (£500,000)
Seen as one for the future, the irish defender started well, But he’s fallen further and further down the pecking order and is currently on loan at Aberdeen. A likely candidate to depart in the summer.
Jota (£6.3million)
Another inspired signing by Postecoglou. The Portuguese winger had a set price included in the initial loan agreement with Benfica, and that was finally made permanent last summer. The wide man has often produced moments of magic when most needed, and a healthy profit could be coming Celtic’s way should he be sold on further down the line.
Giorgos Giakoumakis (£2.5million)
Despite a healthy goal return, the Greek striker finds himself in and out of the starting line up. He could find himself out of Glasgow this month after contract talks with the club stalled. Kyogo is the main man in attack and Giakoumakis reportedly wants more money and playing time in order to sign a new deal, which could prompt Celtic to move him on.
Daizen Maeda (£1.6million)
The Japanese forward has hit a rich vein of form since returning from the World Cup. His loan from Yokohama F Marinos was made permanent last summer, which was a no-brainer. Now starting to add more goals to his ridiculous work rate and pace up front.
Reo Hatate (£1.4million)
Versatile as well as an impressive performer in midfield, Hatate is developing well at Celtic. Still has time on his side to further improve, which makes an initial investment of £1.4million seem like a very smart move on the Hoops’ part.
Yosuke Ideguchi (£800k)
The one Japanese signing made by Postecoglou that hasn’t worked. Ideguchi was finding game time hard to come by even before a serious injury suffered at Alloa. With a midfielder still on the transfer wishlist and the versatile Tomoki Iwata arriving, it’s likely he’ll depart during the January window.
James McCarthy (free transfer)
The Ireland international cost nothing in terms of transfer, but good wages on a four-year deal adds up. And no-one can claim he has been value for money in that sense. Injuries have played a part, but McCarthy has been unable to force his way into the team and his role has been further reduced since Aaron Mooy's arrival.
Johnny Kenny (£125k)
Definitely signed as one for the future, the young Irish striker has had injury to contend with after his arrival from Sligo Rovers. A loan to Queen’s Park afforded valuable first team experience and he’ss now back in Ireland gaining more with Shamrock Rovers.
Matt O’Riley (£1.5million)
A snip at that price. O’Riley has slotted in seamlessly at Celtic and is already attracting interest from some big clubs down south and abroad. Again, the buy low, develop then sell high policy looks like paying off big time with some of the asking prices being mooted for the former MK Dons man.
Cameron Carter-Vickers (£6million)
The same as Jota in that a price was already agreed when he was initially loaned from Tottenham. His stabilising effect on what was initially a leaky backline under Postecoglou is hard to overstate. Helped Starfelt settle down to an extent and could well become a stalwart in the heart of the Hoops defence for a few years yet.
Alexandro Bernabei (£3.75million)
The Argentine is very much second choice to Greg Taylor, while Josip Juranovic has sometimes been used at left back ahead of him. Still very much in the settling in period and needs a run of regular games, but it’s a fair chunk to spend on a back up player.
Aaron Mooy (free transfer)
The experienced Aussie is now starting to show his worth under Postecoglou. Took a bit of time to get up to speed, but is now showing why he was brought in after returning from the World Cup with Australia.
Alistair Johnston (£3million)
Impressed during the World Cup for Canada and despite claims to the contrary, signed as an eventual replacement for Juranovic. Given the money Celtic are likely to bank for the Croat, landing an international successor for just £500,000 more than they paid for his predecessor is good going.
Sead Haksabanovic (£1.7million)
Has been in and out of the team due to injury. However, has contributed when fit and playing, coming up with a number of key goals. Enough early signs to suggest that it’s money well spent in terms of value.
Oliver Abildgaard (£800,000 loan fee)
The Dane is yet to even start a game since arriving on loan from Rubin Kazan. His lack of impact means that his loan deal could be ended early this month, which would make him a somewhat costly flop if the agreed loan fee reported is to be believed.
Yuki Kobayashi (undisclosed)
Details remain scarce on exactly how much Celtic forked out to bring in Kobayashi from Vissel Kobe. Given Postecoglou's hit rate when recruiting from his old stomping ground, it seems a good bet that Kobayashi at least won;t be a total flop.
Tomoki Iwata (loan)
The J League Player of the Year won't cost celtic anything just yet, but an option to buy has been included in his loan deal from Yokohama F Marinos. £828k will see him become a fully fledged Celtic player if he impresses during his initial six months in Scotland.
Ange’s total transfer spend: £46.075million
Rangers transfer spend
John Lundstram (free transfer)
The Scouser has had his good and bad moments, but overall has proved to be a good bit of business by Rangers. Took a while to adapt, but was instrumental in the run to Seville last season. Adds experience and steel to midfield while popping up with the odd goal when needed.
Fashion Sakala (free transfer)
Never an automatic pick, the Zambian has real pace and chips in with his fair share of goals. Was linked with a loan move away in August but those were shot down by Rangers and is benefitting from more game time since Michael Beale’s appointment.
Juninho Bacuna (£2million)
Quite simply did not work. Brought in by Steven Gerrard, the midfielder was never a regular and lasted just six months at Ibrox before being moved on to Birmingham City for an undisclosed fee.
Aaron Ramsey (£2million loan fee)
Arrived on January deadline day last year amid much excitement from Juventus, with premature chat about a permanent deal gathering pace before he’d even played a game. In the end, Rangers didn’t not get the return they hoped for from a marquee addition. Ramsey struggled for fitness and his contributions were not those of a player expected to rip it up. A vital spot kick miss in the Europa League final summed up his time in Glasgow.
Mateusz Zukowski (£400k)
Just two appearances and a loan back to Lech Poznan mean it;s easy to forget Zukowski is a Rangers player. Signed with little prospect of replacing James Tavernier in the side, he’s now even behind left footed Adam Devine in the pecking order and is almost a cert to be shipped out this month.
James Sands (loan)
An 18-month temporary switch from New York City can be made permanent this summer, but at a reported fee of £4million, that's far from guaranteed. Versatility makes Sands a useful squad player but when everyone is fit, isn’t a starter.
Amad Diallo (loan)
It’s unclear exactly how much of a loan fee Rangers paid Manchester United for the forward, but there was little chance of it being made permanent for the money it would have cost. Now starring for Sunderland, Diallo did little in light blue following an early debut goal against Ross County.
Ben Davies (£4million)
Rangers wasted no time in reinvesting the money they got from Ajax for Calvin Bassey. Davies was injured shortly after signing so is only now getting a regular run of games alongside the freshly returned Connor Goldson. The Gers have looked much more solid since the pair came back, with Davies’ displays steadily improving.
Ridvan Yilmaz (£3.4million)
Signed as back up to Borna Barisic with an eye of eventually replacing him, Yilmaz was barely seen under Gio van Bronckhorst after arriving. Was linked with a loan move back to Turkey, but both player and club reiterated their determination to make it work. Injury has ruled him out since and it remains to be seen whether he fits into Beale’s long term plans.
Rabbi Matondo (£3million)
A speed merchant in a similar mould to Sakala, the Welshman has flattered to deceive. Promising pre-season showings have not been backed up during the campaign and finds himself very much a squad player under the new manager so far.
Antonio Colak (£1.8million)
Was on fire prior to being injured and led the league scoring charts after a sensational start to the season. Only now returning to fitness but if he can pick up where he left off, especially with Alfredo Moreos flattering, then will prove to be a bargain buy and up there with one of the best signings in the SPFL this season.
Malik Tillman (Loan)
The Bayern Munich loanee has shown his quality in flashes and Michael Beale is a fan. An exclusive option to buy exists, but whether Tillman has or will do enough to justify a reported £5million fee remains doubtful. There’ time for that to change, but will have to up his numbers significantly.
John Souttar (free transfer)
Looked an inspired but of business on paper, but the former Hearts defender’s rotten injury luck seems destined to keep following him. A family tragedy hasn’t helped matters, but Souttar is now back training and expected to be back playing before the month is out. Plenty of time to return to his best, but nagging doubts about his fitness will understandably not go away.
Tom Lawrence (free transfer)
The signs were promising before he was robbed of months and a place at the World Cup with Wales due to injury. Goals and assists were evident before the layoff, and could prove to be an important player if he can find consistency as well as fitness.
Rangers’ total transfer spend during Ange’s reign: £16.6million
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