The Ibrox crisis deepens as they fail to shift their dreck. This will not end well.

Earlier this week, I discussed how the Ibrox club appears to be in the throes of a hardcore austerity drive. The only thing worse for their manager than losing four or five key players during this transfer window is failing to shift these players off the wage bill altogether.

As it stands, Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo, Cyriel Dessers, Adam Devine, and the hilariously bad Kieran Dowell remain on their books despite the club’s desperate attempts to offload them. Matondo was supposed to be off to Coventry; he remains at Ibrox after that move broke down over money.

They pay their players absurd salaries over there; it’s one of the reasons that so many of them think Scottish football is a holiday camp. It also makes them incredibly hard to move on, and that has come back to haunt them repeatedly.

The situation is plain for all to see, yet some of their fan media outlets continue to churn out absurd nonsense. One article today praised their decision not to pursue a £6 million move for former midfielder Joe Aribo, who’s reportedly on £70,000 a week. How do these people fail to grasp the reality of this? They live in fantasy land.

Meanwhile, speculation continues about whether Celtic will do something radically stupid—like selling Kyogo before the Villa game. The move appears to be happening, but I would be stunned if our manager sanctioned such a move when all we have to do is wait a week and then it makes more sense.

Regardless of what happens, I expect Celtic to be in good shape by the time the window closes. We’ll likely spend good money before it’s done, and our club will continue to thrive, whether or not one player departs … which isn’t to say that I’m not going to have hard questions for people if this deal happens on this timeline.

Across the city, though, the chaos is breathtaking. The media isn’t oblivious to it—they can’t be—but they remain suspiciously quiet on its scale. They’re certainly not discussing the implications of that club being stuck with so many players it cannot afford when the transfer window slams shut.

And those implications are massive. Every penny they’re over budget this season and every pound they use to service debt is money that won’t be available next year. Every one of these players has to be moved on before the next campaign, and it’s painfully obvious that they’re failing to do so.

Isn’t it ironic? Here we are, selling players for huge sums while sitting on an already massive pile of cash. Meanwhile, they’re scraping the barrel, trying to shift players who aren’t wanted, and failing miserably.

I don’t support weakening our team, not in any way, shape, or form. If Celtic confirm Kyogo’s sale in the next 24 hours, I’ll have something serious to say about it. But there’s undeniable satisfaction in how easily we move players on, compared to the utter shambles unfolding at Ibrox.

Their financial situation is dire.

The Ianis Hagi debacle is the giveaway, as I said previously: they have the option to extend his contract for a year but can’t activate it, leaving him free to walk away for nothing. That’s not just poor management—it’s a crisis.

And it’s only the tip of the iceberg.

I’ve long believed that Ibrox’s financial position is like an iceberg. What’s visible on the surface is just a fraction of the whole. The bulk of it lies submerged, out of sight and out of mind for most. But it’s that hidden part that sinks ships and I suspect things over there are far worse than even we, on Celtic sites who scrutinise this stuff, realise.

What we’re witnessing with their first team might not even be half the story. We know they’ve already scrapped the B team, which will cost them dearly as they tear up contracts. Cuts are likely hitting every department over there, and that’s going to end in disaster.

Running a football club is expensive. It’s not just about players and coaches; the infrastructure—from groundskeepers to medical staff—requires immense investment. No department will be spared, and the consequences will ripple through the club.

Summer will be crucial for them. If they can’t shift players now, it becomes even more critical then. Yet their current approach is baffling.

Take Cyriel Dessers, for example. He’s a drain on the wage bill and contributes nothing meaningful. Yet they reportedly want £5 million for him—just to say they made a profit. That’s laughable. The longer they hold out, the more he costs them, all while offering no value to the team.

And let’s not ignore the likely Celtic factor in this. Our success in the transfer market must infuriate them. The Kyogo deal, if it happens, will see us double what we paid for him, after three and a half years of excellent service and all the goals he’s scored for us. That kind of business is light years ahead of what they’re doing. Even our sale of Bernabei, where we turned a profit, highlights the stark contrast.

Their refusal to sell players at realistic prices reeks of an obsession with appearances, and with their constant need to compare themselves to what we do.

They don’t want to be seen taking cut-price deals because it makes them look bad in comparison to us. Talk about living rent free in their heads.

But in clinging to this approach, they’re digging an even deeper hole and creating an ever bigger problem for themselves, one they’ll eventually have to pay for. And when that bill comes due, I have no doubt it will be devastating.

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