Rangers could have £25m hole in accounts compared to Celtic already
Rangers need to qualify for the Champions League or face having a £25million hole in their finances compared to Celtic, according to Dan Plumley.
The Gers collapsed towards the end of the season and ended up finishing in second, four points behind Celtic as they sealed an 11th league title in 12 years and claimed the only automatic qualification spot for the Champions League next season.
That spot is worth around £68million in revenue and broadcast money, but football finance expert Plumley believes that if the Ibrox club don’t manage to make it to Europe’s premier competition then it could cost them up to £25.5million.
“On the raw numbers without the Champions League it’s [the gap to Celtic] not huge because we’ve seen the revenue position between Celtic and Rangers sort of track fairly similar if they’re both in the same competition or not as an example,” he exclusively told Ibrox News.
“Their revenue position, one jumps ahead of the other very much like the on-pitch performance, it’s always really nip and tuck. I don’t see a huge significant swing money-wise in terms of first and second in the context of Scottish football because we know the revenue generation there is pretty set.
“What the big kicker is and potentially could be is the Champions League and if Rangers don’t make it, given the new format and the new money on offer, then conservatively you’re probably talking about somewhere in the region of €80million (£68million) is the starting fee, and then you’ve got bonuses for match wins, you’ve got extra home matches and potentially a bit of money to come from the value of the TV market pool as well, which won’t be high for Scotland, but it’s still some money.
“So when you roll that all together, qualification for the Champions League will probably mean something in the region of €20million (£17million) minimum, €25-30million (£21.2-25.5million) at the top end.
“It’s that that is going to be the differentiator rather than the domestic situation.”
Rangers must start winning on the pitch to close that gap
Money talks in football and often it’s the richest clubs who have the most success, and that’s part of the reason why Celtic have been able to maintain their grip on the domestic game for so long now.
But Rangers aren’t that far behind off the pitch, and if they can turn it around on the pitch by winning trophies and titles then that can swing around off it very quickly too.
That is why this transfer window is so important for the club, because if Philippe Clement can get what he needs and start winning the big games against their fierce rivals that should lead to more success and trophies.
For now though, once the season begins he will need to put his full attention on getting back to the Champions League proper and with the new format of the competition it can be an exciting time for the club.
There’s plenty of work to do, but it’s good to know that the financial side of things is easily fixed by some on-pitch results, so the aim should be obvious for everyone.
In other Rangers news, a report shares how the club missed out on a multi-million-pound deal despite the player agreeing to the transfer.
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