BBC Scotland pundit moots situation where £50m-a-year Rangers payment is agreed
Craig Levein supports the idea of Celtic and Rangers switching to the English leagues for a multi-million-pound deal but has no hope that it will happen.
An influx of money could help develop the other clubs in the Scottish Premiership, with a gulf in money earned separating the Old Firm from everyone else, especially when it comes to TV deals.
The BBC Scotland pundit believes that, if the two giants were to leave the Scottish leagues for a fee from the Premier League, it could have a positive effect on Scottish football.
“We are sitting next to the biggest football nation in the world and they get hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions and we get a fraction of that,” he said to Football Scotland on Friday (19 December).
“Maybe if we got a fraction more of that we would be able to improve things. The game on the pitch is really competitive until you look at the money the Old Firm have got compared to everyone else. But the rest are really competitive.
“I would love to see the Old Firm playing in the English Premier League. They would be able to afford to pay £50million each per season to the rest of Scottish football and then I would support Celtic and Rangers playing in the English Premier League.
“But will it ever happen? I don’t think so.”
An interesting idea
Football fans from all over discuss how well Scotland’s top two would do in the Premier League if they were to switch to the English tiers, just like Cardiff City, Swansea City and Wrexham playing in the English leagues.
However, it is important to remember how many viewers the two giants bring to the Scottish leagues. Yes, the Scots are very passionate when it comes to football, but the Old Firm derby will forever bring the highest views to Scottish football.
Football fans across Europe watch on as Rangers face Celtic twice a season, at the very least. It would be very difficult to maintain revenue and sponsorships without the two of them involved in the Scottish Premiership.
However, the premise that the Premier League pay the SPFL £100million, or £50million for each team, as compensation to help redevelop football in Scotland is an intriguing one. And as many people have wanted to find out, we would see exactly how well Rangers and Celtic would do in England.
In other Rangers news, Tom English admits one “exceptional” Light Blues man is among the best in Scotland for “many-a-year”.