Rangers players more loyal than Celtic, study shows

Rangers have ranked above Celtic in a study analysing player loyalty in the Scottish Premiership.

The findings showed that, on average, players stay at Ibrox longer than they do at their Glasgow rivals, but Rangers are not the highest placed club in the top flight when it comes to longevity of service.

Wedbureaus.nl analysed official statistics from the CIES Football Observatory and found that the number one club for player loyalty in Scotland’s top tier is St Johnstone, with new signings staying at McDiarmid Park for an average of 38 months.

Rangers ranked second with a player loyalty score of 32.4 months, just ahead of third-placed Hibs whose players remain at Easter Road for a period of 31.4 months, almost a full year longer than at Edinburgh rivals Hearts, who ranked seventh with a score of 20.3 months.

Rangers ranked above Celtic in a study into player loyalty in the Scottish Premiership, but St Johnstone placed highest. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

Celtic came in fourth place with at 26.7 months, meaning players stay at Parkhead on average just under six months less than their Old Firm counterparts.

The lowest ranked team for player loyalty is Ross County, with players leaving the Highland club after less than a year, with an average of 11.6 months service.

The Scottish Premiership was also compared to other leagues in Europe for player loyalty and ranked seventh behind the likes of Serie A, La Liga and the Bundesliga with an overall average of 23.2 months.

The English Premier League, where long-term contracts are more common, placed highest with players remaining at clubs for 37 months.

The full rankings for Scottish Premiership clubs with most the loyal players is as follows:

1 St Johnstone – 38 months

2 Rangers – 32.4 months

3 Hibs – 31.4 months

4 Celtic – 26.7 months

5 Dundee – 23.9 months

6 Aberdeen – 21.6 months

7 Hearts – 20.3 months

8 – Dundee United 19.9 months

9 – Motherwell 15.3 months

10 Livingston – 14.4 months

11 – St Mirren 13.1 months

12 Ross County – 11.6 months

Loyalty was determined by the average amount of months that players remain in the employer club’s first-team squad for line-ups fielded.

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