Barcelona legend Xavi has shared that he thinks Celtic need to splash the cash if they want to compete in the Champions League.
Xavi, who won the Champions League four times during his career, revealed his affection for the Hoops and urged them to add proven quality to their squad in order to do better in European tournaments.
“Celtic are a club that I have an affection for,” shared Xavi, as quoted by Daily Record.
“But if they want to compete in the Champions League they must add more proven quality.
“The transfer market has gone crazy over the last 12 months. Neymar changed everything.
“Not many clubs can spend 100, 150, or even 200 million Euros (£176million) on a player, but 15-20 million Euros (£13.2million to £17.6milli0n) needs to be where any club with ambitions, like Celtic, needs to be spending.”
The former Barcelona player shared that he thought given Celtic’s pedigree and history they should be regularly featuring in the Champions League and simply qualifying for the group stages isn’t enough.
Brendan Rodgers’ side exited the Champions League this season at the group stages and went crashing out of the Europa League courtesy of Zenit St Petersburg last Thursday.
OPINION
Xavi is saying what everyone is thinking when it comes to what Celtic need to do in the Champions League. After embarrassing defeats in the contest earlier this season and a swift exit from the Europa League, action needs to be taken. It’s no longer acceptable for the club to simply say things will be better next season and then take no action to improve the side’s chances. While Xavi’s suggestion for Celtic to spend in the region of £15million would be a major change in their transfer policy, if there’s any way the club can afford to spend that sum, then they must.