Celtic won the 21/22 SPFL title against the odds when they turned a rebuild season into a memorable campaign.
Ange Postecoglou’s appointment was laughed at by the other side of Glasgow but he turned out to be the man who would return the SPFL trophy to its rightful place.
Last season we were talking about bridging the 25 point gap, as Celtic head into this season we are talking about reinforcing our squad for Champions League football. It’s an incredible turnaround, but nothing has been down to luck.
Chris Sutton has hammered home that point by now claiming Celtic have the edge when it comes to this summer’s recruitment.
The BT pundit pointed to Celtic’s guarantee of Champions League football as the biggest advantage. The Rangers can stroll qualify but as they look to recruit, they have no idea what their budget can be and they can’t promise any transfer takers Champions league football whereas Celtic can.
As cited by the Daily Record, Sutton said: “Rangers were guilty of complacency last summer when they thought they had their foot on Celtic’s throats. They paid the price for not strengthening properly when they were ahead and that is not a mistake Postecoglou can, or will, make.
“The gap between the teams at the moment is nothing like what it was 12 months ago and my old team has to drive smart and sharp to stay ahead. Postecoglou has given the club a fantastic platform to go on and make the additions that he wants.
“There is no need for juggling finances trying to draw up plans for different scenarios about whether they’ll be in the group stages of the Champions League or not. There’s no need to have to wait until the end of August and after the qualifiers to tell them if they’ll be at Europe’s top table next season.
“Giovanni van Bronckhorst is not in a position when he can promise a signing target a place in the group stages of the Champions League, whereas Postecoglou doesn’t have that problem. He went last season and earned that conversation starter by winning the title.”
Celtic have to take lessons from their rivals. They thought after a season winning behind closed doors meant they were going to have their in of things again and the golden ticket of guaranteed Champions League football with another league win.
The Hoops responded in outstanding fashion and it was no coincidence our upturn came when fans were allowed back in the stadium. Historically, Celtic have used their support to their advantage, whereas the other side of Glasgow used their time away from their support to win the title.
Celtic has already secured Cameron Carter-Vickers on a permanent deal and are very active as they look to make an impact next season.
