Celtic’s business model, over the last decade and a half in particular, is all about buying players for a low fee, providing them with a platform on which to shine before selling them on for a massive profit.
As noted in the graphic, Matt O’Riley is the most recent player that fits into this model, arriving from Milton Keynes Dons for just £1.5m, before departing for Brighton for £25m two-and-a-half years later.
This strategy earned the Hoops the title of the ‘most well-run club’ in Britain, according to the Fair Game Index, so who will be the next high-profile Celtic star to depart?
Jeremie Frimpong's time at Celtic
When Jeremie Frimpong arrived at Celtic from Manchester City for just £350k in 2019, he was a complete unknown, having never played a senior football match in his life.
However, during 51 appearances in Hoops, he really impressed, named the club’s Young Player of the Year at the end of his debut campaign in Glasgow, before being sold to Bayer Leverkusen for a reported fee of £11.5m in January 2021.
Frimpong has since taken his game to another level in Germany, appearing 186 times for die Schwarzroten, while proving a key member of last season’s invincible Bundesliga-winning side. He is also now a first-team figure for the Netherlands, starting both of Oranje’s UEFA Nations League quarter-finals against Spain in March.
Mark White of FourFourTwo Magazine believes Frimpong to be currently the second-best right-back in the world, behind only Trent Alexander-Arnold, while Kurosh Moghtader of Total Football Analysis praises the 24-year-old’s ‘acceleration, constant vertical runs…. dribbling…. [and] dangerous low crosses’.
So, who will be Celtic’s next Frimpong, sold for a huge profit?
Celtic's next big-money sale
Back in January, there was widespread speculation that Nicolas Kühn could be on his way out of Celtic.
Market Movers
Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?
It was reported that Celtic would only listen to offers at the £25m mark, with Football Insider claiming that Brentford and Fulham were amongst those interested, while there was even reported interest from even bigger Premier League clubs, namely Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Any sale would represent a massive profit, considering he joined the club from Rapid Wien for £3m as recently as January 2024, with Transfermarkt believing his valuation has increased fourfold since.
However, this speculation has cooled, and the table below might outline why.
Appearances
25
19
Minutes
1,713
1,242
Goals
14
4
Minutes per goal
122
318
Assists
11
3
As the table outlines, Kühn has endured a massive drop-off in form in 2025, scoring only twice in 17 outings since 4 January, albeit one of these did give the Hoops the lead away to Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout stages.
Rodgers believes Kühn’s dip in form is due to fatigue, saying the German has featured in the “most games he’s ever played” in a single season, before praising his “fantastic ability”, while Paul John Dykes from a Celtic State of Mind adds that, at his best, the 25-year-old is “unstoppable”.
Meantime, Robbie Hanratty of the National notes that Kühn hasn’t been the same since suffering a ‘suspected broken nose’ at Ibrox during the New Year’s Day defeat to Rangers, which could help to explain his downturn in front of goal.
Nevertheless, despite his recent barren period, Kühn’s three goals in the Champions League, including a spectacular brace against RB Leipzig in November, means his quality is there for all to see.
Having celebrated his 25th birthday on New Year’s Day, Kühn is getting to the age when players push for pastures new, so could he depart Celtic for a big fee come the summer, potentially following Frimpong to the Bundesliga?
Value soared £9.5m: Celtic hit gold with star sold for more than Kyogo
Celtic hit the jackpot with this star who was sold for more than Kyogo Furuhashi was.
ByDan EmeryApr 17, 2025
