Philippe Clement has Rangers well positioned in the title race with Brendan Rodgers's Celtic

Rangers, Celtic among SPFL clubs keen on transfer change

Pranav is a sports journalist who graduated from St. Mary’s University, London, in Sports Journalism (MA). He has over nine years of experience working inside newsrooms, including but not limited to News Associates, The Non League Paper, HT Media Group, VAVEL, Sportskeeda, Chichester Observer and Eastbourne Herald. He specialises in news related to takeovers, club finances and injuries.

Published on:

04 Mar 2024, 4:20 pm

Rangers and Celtic are among the Scottish sides keen on a "major shake-up" to stop English sides from poaching young talents, according to the Scottish Sun.

The newspaper claimed (4 March), that SPFL sides are keen on the rule change to put a requirement in for full transfer fees for 14-year-old players.

The Press and Journal report on 4 March that SPFL teams are considering the possibility of lowering the age at which academy graduates can sign on full-time to 14.

Rangers, Celtic and other teams justified to ask for this transfer change

All Scottish clubs, including Rangers, are justified in seeking to introduce professional contracts for young players at the age of 14 to protect their talent pool and prevent English teams from poaching their prospects prematurely.

The current system, where players can only turn professional at 16, leaves Scottish clubs vulnerable to losing their best youngsters to English clubs who can offer professional contracts at an earlier age.

By allowing professional contracts at 14, Scottish clubs would have more control over their youth development and increase their chances of retaining talented players.

This move aims to level the playing field and ensure that Scottish clubs receive fair compensation for nurturing young talents.

Gers received some compensation from Aston Villa for Rory Wilson but these rules do favour the English sides.

Furthermore, given the stricter regulations on signing players under 18 from outside the UK post-Brexit, Scottish clubs are rightfully exploring ways to strengthen their position and safeguard the future of Scottish football.

Rangers fans at Ibrox are the most passionate in the country.

The Premier League's finances give clubs a massive advantage over those in Scotland in what's already an unfair playing field.

In other Rangers news, John Bennett is now forced into Gers developments after a recent £67m Celtic revelation.

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