New contracts are Champions League dividend

It’s great news that Celtic have secured three first choice players, Charlie Mulgrew, Adam Matthews and James Forrest, on new long term contracts.  It allows the players to forget about long-term career issues and concentrate on team matters and the manager and scouts can worry about squad recruitment efforts in other areas.

This news is a direct consequence of Champions League group stage qualification.  Not only do Celtic have funds to increase wage budget, more importantly, aspirational football players, who want to reach the very top of the game, have a reason to be here.

The same is true of Fraser Forster’s England call up.  Scottish football has long been regarded along the lines of lower division football in England, but with Champions League football, the English national team have endorsed our football.  It will be easier to attract the next wave of recruits as a result.  One day Kris Commons [stand out Player of the Year candidate]can only hope his own national team will regard his productive displays in the same manner.

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