Transfermarkt.co.uk caused a stir over the weekend with a cheeky post highlighting Scottish football’s struggles in the transfer market.
While the site is a well-known source for player valuations and transfer fees, it’s worth noting that their figures aren’t always 100% accurate. They’ve been known to list fees that don’t quite match official reports, meaning some of their estimates are more educated guesswork than hard fact.
The post, titled “Scottish Football Has One Problem,” focused on the league’s relatively low income from player sales. A key stat suggested that over the past decade, Scottish clubs have made approximately €407 million from transfers—placing the league 23rd in Europe, far behind the English Premier League.
Celtic’s dominance in this category was clear, with the club reportedly responsible for €257 million of that total, thanks to big-money departures such as Kieran Tierney, Jota, and Matt O’Riley. Rangers, in contrast, were a distant second with just €72.4 million, while Aberdeen ranked third with €25.3 million.
However, the real controversy came in a follow-up graphic detailing player sales this season. Transfermarkt listed Celtic as top but surprisingly omitted O’Riley’s move to Brighton, instead crediting the club with just €12.8 million in sales. But the real twist was how they ranked the other clubs. Instead of grouping all of Celtic’s departures together, they placed Celtic Reserves in third—above Rangers in fourth.
Why? Because sales of Bosun Lawal (€2m to Stoke), Rocco Vata (FIFA compensation fee), and Daniel Kelly (Millwall) technically fell into the reserve category. As a result, Celtic’s second-string side generated more transfer income than Rangers’ entire squad.
While the figures may not be bulletproof, the message was clear: Celtic continue to lead the way in Scottish player sales—even when you split them in two.
