Former Celtic player saw transfer fall through as Rangers sent 'reality' check by finance expert
Celtic and Rangers are both back in Scottish Premiership action this weekend following the international break
Celtic face an away trip to St Mirren on Saturday night following the international break. They won 4-0 at home to Kilmarnock last time out in the league. Johnny Kenny, Kieran Tierney, Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels got their goals against Killie at Celtic Park.
As for Rangers, they take on Livingston at home. Danny Rohl’s men beat Dundee 3-0 at Dens Park in their last outing. Nicolas Raskin, Mikey Moore and Djeidi Gassama were on the scoresheet for them.
Former Celtic player Liel Abada denied transfer
Former Celtic winger Liel Abada saw a move to Toulouse from the Hoops fall through in January 2024 due to safety concerns, according to Israeli coach Ohad Efrat. The attacker, who is an Israel international with 18 caps to his name, now plays his football in the MLS for Charlotte FC. He has scored 13 goals in 60 games since his move to America and works under ex-Brentford and Aston Villa manager Dean Smith these days.
Efrat has said, as per The National: "Liel Abada's move to Toulouse fell through due to security concerns. The team really wanted him, but the local police refused to take responsibility for his safety. I know Toulose really wanted to sign him when he was at Celtic before the war started. I know the team's manager, and he told me the police informed the club they couldn't prevent them from signing him, but they wouldn't be held responsible for his safety.”
Rangers urged to qualify for Champions League by finance expert
Qualifying consistently for the Champions League is vital for Rangers, says football finance expert Dan Plumley, amid talk of a stadium expansion at Ibrox. Rohl was picked as their head coach following their decision to part ways with Russell Martin. The German cut ties with Sheffield Wednesday at the end of last term.
Plumley has said, as per a report by Football Insider: “I think it’s probably just a natural necessity for Rangers to do this at some point. You know, we talked about all the clubs, you know, stadium expansion is a way forward and we know that Rangers could build that demand. They obviously look at that and see it as a viable option. So it has benefits all around and I think at some point, your biggest clubs have to do it. That’s the reality of football.
“In terms of them and Celtic and we talk about this a lot. I think a lot of it does sometimes also swing on if one comes in the Champions League and one’s not or whether a club has a good run in Europe and the other doesn’t. But I just think it’s something that they’ve looked at and gone well, you know, we’ve got to do it, and that extra 4,000 seats can generate a significant proportion of money.”
He added: “And you would imagine maybe some of that is hospitality or they might look at that from a corporate angle as well. So it makes perfect sense, but I don’t think it’s drastic stations that need to be done to catch Celtic. I think that will to and fro depending on league position and European qualification.”