Celtic's biggest transfer profits ranked after Matt O'Riley sale - and how they compare to Rangers'

The £26m transfer of Matt O’Riley from Celtic to Brighton this week was a Scottish transfer record sale. Cr: SNS Group. | SNS Group

The sale of a star player that produced 31 goal contributions last season just four days before the transfer window deadline would be seen as a huge blow by most clubs across the country. When it comes to the Celtic though, the £26million transfer of Matt O’Riley to Brighton simply provides the Hoops recruitment team further opportunity showcase their undeniable talent in the market.

The loss of O’Riley to Brighton this late in the window may be a tough one to take, though it isn’t the type of deal Celtic are unprepared and inexperienced in. In fact, the most impressive aspect of the Hoops recruitment in the last decade has been their ability to make huge profits on key players, all whilst maintaining their grip on the Scottish Premiership top spot. Add in their guaranteed Champions League money from this season and Celtic look largely unstoppable, on and off the pitch.

For Rangers boss Philippe Clement, he doesn’t have the luxury of a well-oiled recruitment team. His planned summer rebuild has buffered, with the Belgian admitting the Gers must sell to buy. A 6-0 win over Ross County at the weekend may have raised spirits somewhat, but his Gers side still look inadequately prepared to challenge for the Scottish Premiership crown against a Celtic who side who look far superior to every other team in the division.

The Light Blues are trying to follow a similar path. The signings of Connor Barron, Jefte and Mohamed Diomande show a change to their recruitment strategy, but their Old Firm rivals are already well ahead in that department. Their plan of action is simple. Identify talent, secure a deal, develop and sell at a profit whilst scouring the globe for the ideal replacement. It sounds simple, but the Hoops are experts at it and it is why they look so far ahead.

Here, we look at Celtic's and Rangers’ biggest transfer profits in the last decade - and how they compare.

Matt O'Riley joined Brighton for £26million earlier this week. Cr: Brighton FC. | Brighton FC

10. Odsonne Edouard - Celtic to Crystal Palace

The Frenchman spent a season on-loan at Celtic Park before joining permanently for a reported fee of £8million in the summer of 2018. Named on the shortlist for the Golden Boy award weeks after his arrival, Edouard went on to win four league titles, three Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups during his time with Celtic and scored 89 goals across his four seasons with the club. The Hoops made a £5million profit when they sold him to Crystal Palace for £14million.

9. Glen Kamara - Rangers to Leeds United

Affectionately known as ‘£50k Glen’, the Finnish midfielder was pound-for-pound one of Steven Gerrard’s best signings during his time at Rangers. The classy midfielder was nabbed from Dundee for a nominal fee and was a vital part of Rangers’ invincible 20/21 squad, running the midfield during some of the club’s greatest performances under their ex-manager. Fell out of favour under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, but turned a profit of £5.45million when he joined Leeds United last summer. The club were also rumoured to have included a sell-on clause in the deal, which would have benefitted them this summer when he made a £8.6million transfer to Rennes. A rare smart piece of recruitment at Ibrox.

8. Joe Aribo - Rangers to Southampton

One of Rangers’ best signings of the modern era, the young Nigerian moved to Ibrox on a Bosman free deal when his contract expired at EFL League One outfit Charlton Athletic. He went on to win a league title and Scottish Cup with the club, while playing a pivotal role in the club’s run to the Europa League final in 2022, where he scored the memorable opening goal in the final against Eintracht Frankfurt. Sold that summer, he made the club a profit of around £6million.

Ange Postecoglou brought Liel Abada to Celtic. | Getty Images

7. Liel Abada - Celtic to Charlotte FC

The Israeli winger departed Celtic earlier this year in order to move to the MLS with Charlotte FC. Abada’s last few months at in Glasgow were turbulent and he was left out of the Hoops squad due to ‘personal reasons’ amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Despite the obvious need to move the player on for the good of both parties, the Celtic board were still able to make a big profit on Abada, who was sold for £10million after being bought for just £3.6million from Maccabi Petah Tikva just two and half years earlier.

6. Jeremie Frimpong - Celtic to Bayer Leverkusen

One of the best winger’s in Europe at present, there’s no doubt the Dutch international would demand a significantly higher fee than the £9.7million Celtic charged Bayer Leverkusen for the player in January 2021. However, the 23-year-old represents some of the best business the club have done in the last decade. Costing just £350k from Manchester City, Frimpong flourished for the Hoops before being sold to the Bundesliga. Celtic chiefs are also thought to have inserted a sell-on fee into the deal with the club set to receive 30% of the profit should Frimpong ever be sold by Leverkusen.

5. Kristoffer Ajer - Celtic to Brentford

The big Norwegian centre-half struggled in the his final season at Celtic Park, but largely performed well for the club during Brendan Rodgers’ first stint in Glasgow East End. A bargain transfer at just £650k, Ajer never looked back after a short loan spell with Kilmarnock, winning nine domestic trophies and being named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. He also made his international breakthrough during his time with the Hoops before moving to Brentford for £13.5million. Made Celtic a profit of £12.85million on the defender and was another smart piece of recruitment.

Kristoffer Ajer won nine domestic trophies with Celtic. | Getty Images

4. Jota - Celtic to Al-Ittihad

Arguably the best signing Ange Postecoglou made in his time at Celtic, the Portuguese forward was magic during his two-year stay at Parkhead. Perhaps the biggest disappointment about his time at the club was that his big move ended up being to the Saudi Pro League, where he is currently wasted on the bench. The club made an £18.5million profit on the player, having paid Benfica just £6.5million for his services, before selling him to Al-Ittihad for £25million a year later. Has been linked with a move to the English Premier League in recent years, while he has also been loosely tipped with a return to Celtic.

3. Moussa Dembele - Celtic to Lyon

The free-scoring French forward was one of Brendan Rodgers’ most successful signings in his first spell at Celtic Park. Brought to the club for a compensation fee of £500k from Fulham, Dembele scored 51 goals in 96 games for the Hoops before departing for a sum of £19.7million to Ligue 1 outfit Lyon. Still just 28-years-old, he now plays in the Saudi Pro League under the guidance of ex-Rangers manager Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq.

2. Calvin Bassey - Rangers to Ajax

Rangers’ record sale, Bassey made the Ibrox club a fortune when he was sold for £19.6million to Ajax in the summer of 2022. With a reported 10% sell-on fee included in the deal, they are also thought to have benefitted from his £17.7million switch to Fulham a year later. A big recruitment success for the club, the English defender was purchased for a tiny fee of just £230k from Leicester City and was sold at a profit of £19.37million despite playing just 37 league games for the club.

Calvin Bassey made Rangers a huge profit. | SNS Group

1. Matt O’Riley - Celtic to Brighton

And last but not least, O’Riley became Celtic’s record sale and provided the club their biggest ever profit when he moved to Brighton on Monday. The Denmark midfielder was a revelation for both Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers following his £1.5million bargain transfer from MK Dons and made the Hoops an astonishing £24.5million profit when he left just 29 months later.