Home > Football > The Bold Firm: It's all change at Celtic and Rangers in the summer
The Bold Firm: It's all change at Celtic and Rangers in the summer
There will be loads of Old Firm comings and goings in the close season. Who might be in and who might be out?
by Jamie Ralston on 01 June 2008
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Both sides of the Old Firm will make dramatic changes to their squads over the summer - and don't be surprised if they spend between £10m and £20m each.
Rangers raked in £35m over the course of the season because of their fantastic European run all the way to Manchester, and also the £9m sale of Alan Hutton to Spurs in January (which I still believe cost them the SPL title).
Walter Smith still has his January budget of £5m to spend, which means there is £40m just lying there in the Ibrox kitty. I think Smith will receive about £15m of that money which is a significant amount for ANY Scottish club to be spending nowadays.
Celtic, on the other hand, made between £15-20m because of their run to the last 16 of the Champions League, and I would think they will get around £15m to spend. This makes for an interesting and eventful transfer window regarding the Old Firm.Both clubs will also be letting plenty of players go, which may free up a bit of money, plus thousands of pounds worth of wages.
Celtic will let such players as Bobo Balde, Derek Riordan, Chris Killen and Massimo Donati go and, of course, Steven Pressley has already left the club. It is also possible the likes of Artur Boruc, Aiden McGeady and Scott McDonald could be leaving on BIG money transfers to the English Premier League, with Arsenal courting Boruc, Newcastle interested in McGeady and Sunderland looking at McDonald.
Rangers, on the other hand, will let go of a number of players such as Brahim Hemdani, Thomas Buffel, Alan Gow, Davie Weir, Andy Webster, Amdy Faye and Daniel Cousin, with Filip Sebo already gone.
Christian Dailly and Steven Davis are also away again after their loan deals expired, though it looks as if Dailly is staying and with Davis wanting to stay at Ibrox a deal will probably be done with Cousin going the other way. Carlos Cuellar and Allan McGregor could also be away on BIG money transfers to the Premier League, with Cuellar to Newcastle and McGregor to Spurs. But I believe both will stay at Ibrox.There are a few names already linked with both clubs:Rangers 1. Kenny Miller (£3m from Derby)2. Peter Lovenkrands (£1.5m from Schalke)3. Ivan Klasnic (Free from Werder Bremen)4. George Boateng (Free from Middlesbrough)5. Mark Reynolds (£500k from Motherwell)Celtic 1. George Boateng (Free from Middlesbrough)2. James McFadden (£6m from Birmingham)3. Stephen Carr (Free from Newcastle)4. Harry Kewell (Free from Liverpool)5. Ian Harte (Free from Sunderland)
Comments (20)
by Adam Smith on June 01, 2008
I would just like to say to the above absolute garbage, keep off they drugs. But like the excuses re; the league, makes me chuckle!
by Joe G on June 01, 2008
The sale of Alan Hutton cost rangers the league? Get the facts straight. Celtic cost rangers the league. Thats the plain fact. You don't have to like it but there it is.
by trueblue on June 01, 2008
joe g no rangers being absolutley knackered cost them the league get your facts straight but you dont really believe in facts do you ..more paranoia
by Joe on June 01, 2008
Rangers only winning once away to another top six team (over the whole season) maybe had something to do with them not winning the league. That is a fact
by Craig Thomson on June 01, 2008
The Daily Record said the other day that Rangers made something like £30m from Europe and Huttons departure plus another million from Sebo so he has £31m to spend. Jamie has figured it's £40m in the kitty so that's what's there to be spent.When has it ever worked like that, never. Both clubs are rolling in it this year but only this year. If Rangers were to spend £15m on four decent players + wages of "only" £25k a week over a four year contracts makes wil show up as a £35m investment on the books. Murray will be tempted to reduce the debt again also so i can't see either club spending more than £15m, if even that.
by Pish Flaps on June 01, 2008
As my heading states, Re-arangers having 40 mil to spend is a total joke. There is no way in hell that any Scottish team will or could spend that amount... utter laptop loyal pish!
by BillyGoBackwards on June 01, 2008
Rangers where knackered because they couldn't beat anyone without a replay, extra time and penalties. Is it celtics or the SPLs fault they where not good enough to score goals?. Celtic where the best team over the season, fact!!
by Rangers are Pish on June 01, 2008
Rangers lost the league last season because they're pish. They were the luckiest side in UEFA cup history to stumble their way to that farce in Manchester, then got what they deserved, pumped off a better side. They signed 'players' such as Christian Dailly (lmao) and 'interesting' Steve Davis during the winter transfer window, while the superior side across the city strengthened with Barry Robson and Giorgios Samaras. Rangers punched way, way above their weight all season, and ran out of luck in the end, finishing the season, a season of such promise, dreams of 'an unique quadruple' (boke !!!) with the two diddy cups. GIFRUY, 'monthehoops!!!!!
by Oh Yeah on June 01, 2008
Rangers lost the league because celtc asked for the January Old Firm game to be postponed because an ex player, who hadn't played for them in 10 years tragically died. There must only be one or two left at celtc who were there when Phil O'Donnell was there. Celtc were playing crap in January, had three important players missing through suspension and Nakamura injured. Dundee Utd, who's players were playing Motherwell when Phil tragically died, didn't get their next match postponed, well they didn't ask for it. Here's how it went-celtc ask league for a postponement. League are due to ask Rangers if they agree to said postponement but mysteriously before they can ask Rangers for their permission, celtc release the news to the press. Disgrace of a club from the bottom to the top. Everyone knows this particular truth about celtc.
'Celtic are a disgrace' thats a joke coming from one of SCOTLANDS SHAME. One word for you... MANCHESTER. Your fans are a bunch of sectarian thugs.
by Jake Hansen on June 01, 2008
-Oh Yeah- YOU are the reason no one on Eatrh likes the huns. That was a horrible comment to make. nice "dignity" there pal. Just because a friend you've known and loved for the past decade doesn't "work" with you anymore, it's NOT ok to feel down when they die tragically? You've got the story wrong mate. Dundee United DID ask for their next match to be postponed, but the SPL refused. Rangers asked for the 26 mathces to be postponed throughout the season and got all but 3 moved. Take a look in the mirror before you call a "class" club a disgrace. By the way, your "class" club showed it's true colors in Manchester. Cna you hear the rangers sing? Nope, but I can still hear them crying.
by Martyn on June 01, 2008
40 mill lying around lol ?? Dont be stupid Rangers are in a terrible financial state, however they still will get a decent transfer budget though and it wont be far off Celtics. Only Lovenkrands and McFadden are good enough to play for both Celtic or Rangers and probably Kewell also if he could stay fit.
by Prairie Bhoy on June 01, 2008
by Harry Callahan on June 02, 2008
Yet again another Old Firm forum is turned into a petty squabbling match between both sides. All the nonesense of "your teams pish!" or "your fans are a buch of scum!". Who gives a shit about that? The article is about who will come in and leave both clubs not about who won the league and why. Rangers will have to bring in people on the flanks. Up to 5 centre halfs on the field is a tad over kill and makes for awful football to watch. A striker, midfielder and a centre half will also have to come in. Seeing as I have read over 50 names so far in the past week alone it's anyones guess as to how will be wearing the gers shirt next season. Celtic will lose the services of Boruc and maybe McGeady but I think McDonald will stay. Others leaving will be Gravesen, Donati, Riorden, Balde and possibly Naylor. Coming in will be Samaras on a permanant deal and a good keeper to cover the loss of Boruc.
by Thistle Dhub on June 02, 2008
Poor article, made only worse by the inane squabbling and point scoring by contributors (apart from Harry Callahan - do you feel lucky?) Regardless of the sale of Alan Hutton, the league table doesn't lie and the best team won the title, as sad as that makes me feel. There will probably be a few changes at both clubs and expectations from both sides will be very high with both having good european runs. If either slip in delivering to those expectations, there will be more people jumping ont he bandwagon to get Strachan or Smith out, which would be criminal as both have been very good managers.
by Carntyne Live on June 02, 2008
Thistle Dhub.....You say "The best team won the league." And then "As sad as that makes me feel." ?????????? Should the best team not have won the league?
by Sollozzo on June 02, 2008
I have read quite a bit of rubbish regarding proposed transfers to both Celtic and Rangers already this close season, all this article has done is reiterate the garbage that you can read ten a penny on many websites throught the www. If you must post infounded rumours at least entertain us by suggesting names that haven't aleady been linked a million times before.
by A Moses MacNeil Sandal on June 03, 2008
The guy asks a fair question in his article and all he gets is abuse from most of the posters on here simply because you think he's a Rangers fan, the irony of how that makes you look! Rangers need a striker who can hold the ball up and compete in the air, if they'd bought one in January, and they tried too, the season could have gone very differently. The kind of players needed to get beyond the last 16 of the Champions League are beyond the wage-bill of both clubs I think. It's all very well saying clubs have millions to spend but if they can't compete on salaries it doesn't matter what the transfer fee is.
by Prairie Bhoy on June 03, 2008
Rangers lost the league because celtc asked for the January Old Firm game to be postponed because an ex player, who hadn't played for them in 10 years tragically died. There must only be one or two left at celtc who were there when Phil O'Donnell was there. Celtc were playing crap in January, had three important players missing through suspension and Nakamura injured. Dundee Utd, who's players were playing Motherwell when Phil tragically died, didn't get their next match postponed, well they didn't ask for it. Here's how it went-celtc ask league for a postponement. League are due to ask Rangers if they agree to said postponement but mysteriously before they can ask Rangers for their permission, celtc release the news to the press. Disgrace of a club from the bottom to the top. Everyone knows this particular truth about celtc. The usual lament from the fans of snake mountain. It's never your team's own doing. As for who is a disgrace... You fans are Scotland's Shame ; so lets get that straight.
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