Ahead of the Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers addressed comments from Rangers boss Philippe Clement, who claimed the two clubs operate in "different leagues" financially.
Clement's remarks came after Rangers' Scottish Premiership victory over Ross County on December 8, where he suggested they face opponents who are “financially out of our league,” referencing both Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League.
Recent financial reports highlight a significant disparity: Celtic boasts £77million in reserves and a pre-tax profit of £17.8m for the last year, while Rangers reported a net loss of £17.2m and have been implementing cuts to their squad to reduce the overall wage bill, projected to total £8.5m over two seasons.
Rodgers was eager to emphasise that Celtic's strong financial success stems from a clear strategy, contributing to their domestic dominance this past decade.
Under his guidance, Celtic could secure their 10th trophy out of the last 11 competitions contested. There's also the small matter of Scottish football bragging rights with the Glasgow rivals both attributing 118 honours to their name.
“Within ourselves, I’m only interested in Celtic, really. Where Celtic has come over a number of years, this is a club that’s been organically grown.
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“We haven’t been handed money. This isn’t something where we have had someone coming in from the Middle East and giving us a load of money. This is something that’s been grown.
“The leadership from the very top of this club to the bottom is why we have had the successes that we’ve had.
“We’ve grown that, developed that, and that has allowed us then to win. When you win, that brings more success.
“For us, that is all I’m interested in – the greater good of this team and the club. The club’s in a brilliant position, but it’s all been earned. It’s not been handed to us.
“Everyone has the possibility, certainly teams up towards the top, will have the possibility to earn the finances. And if they don’t, then OK. We have to worry about ourselves and that’s my only interest, really.”
