Is Scottish football wising up to the money market?

Add as preferred source on Google

For years Scotland has been seen as an easy target for cut-price bargains, for managers looking to take on players during the January transfer window. But over the past few weeks, Scottish clubs are refusing to sell their players on the cheap to other, bigger clubs.

Celtic and Rangers may have been able to hold out for big offers, but now other clubs seem to be following suit after been known to jump too quickly at the first sign of a six-figure offer for some of their best players.

Earlier this week, we saw the epitome of good business by the Aryshire men with Souleymane Coulibaly’s exit from Kilmarnock. After only seven months at the club, he has completed his move to Egypt in a deal which was worth an initial £800,000 but is now rising towards seven figures if add-on clauses are triggered.

This only appears to be further proof Scottish clubs are no longer willing to bow down to bigger clubs down south and across the Continent, by selling their players at a lower price.

Which then begs the question: Is Scottish football getting wiser to the money market in today’s game? Is it being more ruthless as there’s so much money out there now? Or is it simply that Scottish football is refusing to let their players remain unappreciated?

Which is exactly what Rangers boss Mark Warburton said, when he promised that Ibrox winger Barrie McKay will not leave on the cheap.

“I think there is a lack of appreciation for the Scottish market,” he said. “I think there is an unnecessary derogatory stance or view sometimes of the Scottish game.”

Brendan Rodgers also commented on this last month after saying Liverpool had no chance of signing Moussa Dembele. The Celtic manager’s message for the whole of English football was that no player will be sold on the cheap.

“We don’t want to or need to sell anyone. Gone are the days when someone’s going to look at the Scottish market and think ‘We’ll get someone out of Celtic because it’s Scottish football.’

“A talent is a talent and, without being arrogant, I know what it looks like – world class players.”

So, in terms of asking price for our top players, seven figures is definitely the new six figures.

And it’s not just Killie that have recognised their player’s potential and wised-up to today’s money market, after rejecting the second bid worth around three-quarters of a million pounds for Coulibaly, and were rewarded with a seven-digit sum.

Many Scottish clubs outside Celtic and Rangers are withstanding cheap offers from south of the border this season or, in some cases, a price that’s only a little more than insulting.

Hearts and Callum Paterson for instance. The Tyncastle director of football, Craig Levein, insists that they won’t take anything less than a “seven-figure sum” for the 22-year-old defender.

Last summer Wigan tried to cut them down three times, but the Jambos refused each time, telling the Latics to think again despite the fact that Paterson is now in his last year of his contract.

Jonny Hayes and Aberdeen and just another example. If Aberdeen thought Cardiff’s bid of £500,000 wasn’t shameless enough, they returned a few days later with a second offer worth exactly the same amount as the first one.

Jason Cummings and Hibs, too. This Scottish Championship club rejected a £1.7 million sum for Cummings from Peterborough last summer – coming from a team who are known to jumping at the first hint of a good deal.

Over the past 20 years Scottish clubs have relented and sold their top players to bigger clubs for much less than they were worth. Perhaps now, Scotland will now longer sell to clubs for under the market value and will cease to be seen as the go-to for a football transfer bargain.