Rangers and Celtic ‘could be Premier League powerhouses’ as Sky Sports pundit rightly called out
Jamie O’Hara should be embarrassed for suggesting Stockport County would win the William Hill Premiership over Rangers and Celtic.
Tony Cascarino has hailed the Old Firm clubs for their “amazing” fanbases and believes they could potentially achieve big things if they were in the Premier League.
O’Hara branded the William Hill Premiership “shocking” during a live Sky Sports broadcast recently, disrespecting the quality of football in Scotland.
While the two Glaswegian clubs have struggled this season, Barry Ferguson reached the Europa League quarter-final at Ibrox after beating Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, while Celtic almost got the better of Bayern Munich in the Champions League play-off.
Rangers finances to be boosted in the Premier League
If the Gers and Celtic did compete in the Premier League, they would certainly have more financial pull, Cascarino says.
As things stand, the former Republic of Ireland international feels money is holding the Old Firm rivals back on the world stage.
With the prospect of English football’s broadcasting money, even the Glaswegian outfits would surely be able to spend millions, as many lower-ranked teams have in recent years.
Speaking on talkSPORT on 15 November, Cascarino said: “It’s not the size of the club because Celtic and Rangers are huge football clubs, they’ve got an amazing following. It’s the finances that are the issue of why these clubs are not as competitive.”
The Irishman added: “I would say they could both play in the Premier League and probably be at the wrong end of the table. But if these clubs came to the Premier League, they’d suddenly have finance and the ability to buy some of the biggest and better names around.
“They could sign £35million players like Wolves have done, Southampton, Ipswich or whatever have spent all this money. If Celtic and Rangers had that in their armoury, they could be real powerhouses in the Premier League, without a doubt.”
Premier League trumps Scottish football as top five transfers compared at Ibrox
Youssef Chermiti became the second most expensive signing at Ibrox, with the Light Blues paying £8m for him to Everton in the summer.
Rangers haven’t spent more on any single player than Tore Andre Flo, spending £12m for his arrival from Chelsea in 1998.
| Player | Cost | Player | Cost |
| 1. Alexander Isak | £125m | 1. Tor Andre Flo | £12m |
| 2. Florian Wirtz | £116m | 2. Youssef Chermiti | £8m |
| 3. Enzo Fernandez | £106.8m | 3. Ryan Kent | £6.5m |
| 4. Jack Grealish | £100m | 4. Michael Ball | £6.5m |
| 5. Declan Rice | £100m | 5. Danilo | £6m |
In stark contrast, the five biggest transfers in the Premier League have all cost £100m or above, highlighting the gulf in finances between English and Scottish football.
While no one will argue that the William Hill Premiership has more quality than the Premier League, Scottish fans will argue that a lot of players from down south have failed to cut it up north.
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