Danny Murphy suggests Rangers and Celtic are doomed in Europe with ‘nowhere near’ verdict
Danny Murphy has suggested Rangers and Celtic are doomed in European competitions, claiming their limited income from playing in the Scottish Premiership means they cannot afford the quality of players they need.
The former Premier League midfielder claimed the Scottish giants need more quality players to compete in Europe, but said the top flight in Scotland is nowhere near as lucrative as other European Leagues, making it difficult for them.
This criticism has come following Celtic’s exit from the Champions League after picking up just one point from their opening five group-stage games.
Discussing the way Celtic crashed out of the Champions League live on talkSPORT [29 November, 11:24], Murphy raised the point: “I think, if you want to compete at Champions League level, you need more quality than Celtic have.
“The problem with that is that it costs money, but they only pay a certain level of wages. And, you can only entice a certain level of player to Celtic or Rangers because they’re playing in a league that’s nowhere near as exciting or competitive as most of the other leagues in Europe.”
Rangers have proved they can compete
Murphy’s comments about the quality of the league seem harsh. While it may not reach the standard of the Premier League, Rangers have already proved in recent years they can compete with clubs from across the top European leagues.
The Ibrox club reached the final of the Europa League in 2022, where they were beaten on penalties by Eintracht Frankfurt, having defeated other German giants Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig in the knockout stage.
It may not be a consistent success, but the blinding lights of the English Premier League may be blinding to the fact both Rangers and Celtic can attract quality talent and work to make themselves competitive in Europe.
The money in Scottish football is nowhere near that of the bigger European leagues – of that Murphy is correct. The suggestion, however, that it will outright prevent the Glasgow clubs from being competitive in Europe has been proven otherwise.
Celtic simply haven’t been good enough, regardless of their income.
In other Rangers news, James Tavernier has made a ‘massive’ Europa League claim.