No Ibrox quick fix – It took Celtic 20 years to get that pot of money, says Strachan | OneFootball

Gordon Strachan believes Celtic will always find new heroes when current stars eventually depart, such is the club’s fantastic record at unearthing emerging talents…

The newly appointed manager of Celtic, Gordon Strachan, poses following a press conference announcing his new position, May 31, 2005 (Photo by Getty Images)

The former Hoops boss had several wonderful years at Celtic Park, before leaving in 2009 to be replaced by Tony Mowbray who didn’t last very long in the hot-seat.

Neil Lennon’s appointment coincided with a new transfer policy at Celtic

Tony was subsequently replaced by fan favourite Neil Lennon, who went on to enjoy two spells at the club in his managerial career. The appointment of the Irishman also coincided with a new transfer policy at the club during that time; buy young and aspiring talent, then eventually sell them for several times the initial outlay once they have developed enough to move to a more prestigious footballing league.

Aiden McGeady of Celtic celebrates after scoring during the Scottish Premier League match between Celtic and Kilmarnock at Celtic Park January 2, 2007. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Aiden McGeady was the first of many

Aiden McGeady was really the first in line to kick-start this new way of doing business, and the club sold the winger to Spartak Moscow for a then record-breaking £9.5 million transfer fee. That particular move went a long way in funding Lennon’s own recruitment drive and that spell really pushed the club forward in terms of the talent they unearthed from various parts of the world.

Gary Hooper of Celtic celebrates after scoring his first goal during the Premier League match between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park on February 20, 2011. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Celtic’s the trading model  has worked brilliantly – count the trophies and the money in the bank

Victor Wanyama, Fraser Forster, Gary Hooper and Virgil van Dijk are just a handful of names who the club made a great profit on, after refining their skills and footballing ability. The trading model had since been in place and the club have did really well from that, it has to be said. It’s been a long road but over the years it has managed to put enough cash away not only for security, but to advance the club on and off the pitch.

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic and Jack Iredale of Hibernian challenge for the ball Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Gas Scottish Cup, Quarter Final, Celtic Park, – 09 March 2025 Photo Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock

Kuhn won’t leave unless another extraordinary offer is made

Strachan reckons that hard-earned stockpile has been years in the making and admitted that if any of the current crop of stars should leave, there will be new ones that emerge, such is the success rate over the period. Nicolas Kühn is a player that has been racking up interest this season, but former the Scotland manager reckons he won’t leave unless another extraordinary offer is made.

Arne Engels celebratesSt Mirren v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, Saturday 1st March 2025. Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Speaking to makthavare.se, he said: “They won’t sell at any price. They’ll wait until it makes sense. At £30 million they might say ‘alright, let’s sell’. They went big time on Arne Engels, so they have spent. They have probably spent the most they’re willing to so far with Rodgers, because if something goes wrong, they want to be secure.

“It took 20 years to get that pot of money”

“Somebody was saying that Celtic have got X amount of money more than (the)Rangers, but it took 20 years to get that pot of money. It’s been hard work for the organisation all the way down. They have earned every right, Celtic. I’m not sure how much it would take, but there’s definitely a premium for attacking players. But this is probably how Celtic signed Kuhn.”

Nicolas Kuhn with the Premier Sports Cup after Celtic’s victory over theRangers on 15 December 2024 at Hampden Park. Photo Kenny Ramsay

‘That’s been Celtic’s mantra now for 20 years’

He continued: “They’d say come for us, play for us, make us successful and have a look at all the players that we have sold on. Do you want to be one of them? Now, and if it happens, people shouldn’t tell him he should stay with us. They kind of promise them that they can be a stepping stone to where they next want to be in life. If you want to stay, magnificent, of course. And that’s been Celtic’s mantra now for 20 years.”

Rinse and repeat

On the difficult question of losing star talent, Strachan reckons it’s pretty simple, as the club have shown time and time again that they are able to replace outgoing stars with fresh blood and still maintain the quality and standards within the squad.

Daizen Maeda of Celtic is seen during the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Quarter-Final match between Celtic and Hibernian at Celtic Park on March 09, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“There was years ago when there was a bit about losing Edouard and others,” he added. “As much as they’ve won, Celtic will always find heroes. But they have new stars to replace the outgoing players, and you’ve got Maeda and Kuhn. There’s so many coming in and that’s what happens at Celtic. There’s always new heroes.”

Paul Gillespie

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