Celtic earned a comfortable 3-0 victory over Rangers in the Scottish Premiership clash last week and have taken a healthy five-point lead over their rivals.
More than the scoreline, it was the manner of the defeat that has been concerning for Rangers.
Chris Sutton has made a point that there is a big gap in quality between the two sides, and Jimon Jordan also feels the same way.
Celtic have been dominant in this fixture in recent times, and they have been equally brilliant, on and off the pitch.
However, Rangers hero Graeme Souness thinks that if there is a gap, then it is down to finance. If Rangers get £50 million money to spend on their squad, they will be winning trophies as well.
Jordan pointed out the difference in their transfer policy as the two pundits clashed on talkSPORT.
“Celtic spent 33 million this transfer window, and sold 38 million amount of players,” said Jordan.
“So the net effect of their transfer activity is that they are actually in credit with their transfer activity. Rangers spent 16 million on players and sold two.
“When it comes to transfer spend on a net basis Celtic are selling some of their players and replenishing but Rangers are spending more on the net basis than Celtic are and the gap isn’t closed.
“And the argument that I always find difficult with Graeme, is that in a two-horse league, if you never beat your opposition, where only the two sides are at the top of the table, Rangers and Celtic win it, and one side never wins, someone along the lines that got terms on and say there’s a vast gap between the two clubs.”
Souness responded: “Someone’s got to see a gap. Where’s the recovery from being relegated? It’s finance. I am telling you if someone does come with 50 million quid that could turn the whole thing around in Rangers’ favour. Football is a mad business.”
Celtic v Rangers: it’s hard to ignore the vast gap
Souness has made a fair point that Rangers can become a top side with proper investment, but the same can be said about Celtic as well.
It’s not like Celtic are spending a ridiculous amount of money every window. It is also down to proper management, coaching skills and finding raw talents.
Celtic have sold players like Kieran Tierney, Odsonne Edouard, and now Matt O’Riley in recent transfer windows on high transfer fees and they replenished the void properly.
On the other hand, Rangers squad was rotten with players who were in the final year of their contract, and they had to be shipped out.
Every summer, a manager comes in and brings in loads of players, and then he gets the sack mid-day. It’s like a never-ending rebuilding process, and when that happens, the performance hampers, the system hampers.
There is no doubt that an injection of cash could change Rangers completely, but having money is not enough – it’s how you’re spending it also matters.
Celtic, on the other hand, have made some poor signings as well in recent years, but they have maintained an overall quality through proper scouting.
For instance, Kyogo Furuhashi was signed for around £4.5 million, a fee Rangers could have afforded as well. He has become one of the top strikers in the league and has made tremendous contributions to the side.
Jordan is absolutely spot on that Celtic have a better understanding of the transfer market, and that’s why there is a “vast gap” in quality.
In other Celtic news, Brendan Rodgers reacts to what Ally McCoist has said about the Old Firm clash.
