Real reason Celtic missed out on Champions League football following bank account reveal
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(Credit: Imago/Getty Images)
Alex Oakhill
Wed 24 September 2025 20:00, UK
Celtic missed out on the on qualifying for the league phase of the Champions League, and the real reason for their early exit has been revealed.
It has been a very positive start to the season for Brendan Rodgers‘ side domestically, who sit top of the Scottish Premiership with 13 points from five games.
However, Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League at the play-off stage, losing to Kazakh champions Kairat Almaty on penalties.
Last week (19 September), the Glasgow giants published their financial accounts for the 2024-25 season, revealing that they currently have £77.3million in the bank.
Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes Celtic missed a chance in the Champions League by not spending enough of their enormous balance in the transfer window.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that Celtic can’t parade their £77m around the pitch, and it is not the same as silverware.
The Hoops’ financial report stated that they brought in £31.5m through player sales, and only spent £38.6m on incomings, despite their huge commercial revenue.
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Wyness added that it is the “same old Celtic“, a club that has loads of cash but are not investing it.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Same old Celtic, a cash machine and not investing it.
“They missed their chance in the Champions League, as we know.
So that was the big bonanza they could have had, and that could have probably put another 50 per cent into the bank account, but they’ve missed that chance.
“I have sympathy with that because £77m in the bank, you can’t show that to the fans and parade it around Celtic Park saying, look at this, here’s the bank balance, here’s the bank statement.
Credit: Imago
The Scotsman is growing frustrated at the lack of spending and investment in his squad, sparking rumours of a potential exit.
Rodgers’ current Celtic contract runs out at the end of the season, and there is no indication yet that there have been talks over a renewal.
There is a feeling that if a Premier League club came in for the former Liverpool and Leicester City boss, then he would be inclined to make the switch back to England.
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