Rodgers must cash in on Celtic flop who earns more than Scales

Celtic have made a name for themselves as a club that excels at developing and selling on talented young players, with Matt O’Riley the latest player to benefit from the stepping stone.

As much as the Hoops would rather not be a middle ground for players who want to play in the major leagues across Europe, that is where they are and they have been making the most of that position over the last ten years or so.

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama, Fraser Forster, Odsonne Edouard, Moussa Dembele, and Kieran Tierney, among many others, all spent time in Glasgow before sealing moves across Europe.

Celtic sold Portuguese winger Jota to Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad for £25m in the summer of 2023, and sold O’Riley to Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee of more than £25m earlier this year.

This means that the Hoops have raked in more than £50m from two player sales since the start of last season, alongside the departues of Carl Starfelt and Liel Abada, to Celta Vigo and Charlotte respectively.

However, not every young player who arrives at Parkhead is able to make that next step, and they may be about to cash in on one who failed to establish himself in Glasgow.

The latest on Alexandro Bernabei’s future

Argentine left-back Alexandro Bernabei was sent out on loan to Brazilian side Internacional back in March and is set to remain at the club until the turn of the year.

According to The Scottish Sun, Internacional would like to sign the 24-year-old full-back on a permanent deal in the upcoming January transfer window.

The report claims that they are due to fly to Europe for a number of recruitment meetings and they want to have talks with Celtic chiefs in order to thrash out an agreement to keep the defender on a permanent basis.

It states that his contract with the Scottish giants is not due to expire until the summer of 2027 and that puts the club in a relatively strong position in negotiations, as they are not under any pressure to cash in on him for an insignificant fee.

Bernabei joined the Hoops from Lanus for a reported fee of £3.75m in 2022 under Ange Postecoglou, and it remains to be seen how much of that they would be able to recoup from the Brazilian outfit.

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One thing is for sure, though, and that is that Brendan Rodgers must ruthlessly cash in on the flop, as he reportedly earns £5.5k-per-week, which is even more than current first-team star Liam Scales.

How much Liam Scales earns for Celtic

The Ireland international reportedly earns £5k-per-week, £500 less each week in comparison to Bernabei, and has provided great value for that wage since the start of last season.

After his loan spell with Aberdeen in the 2022/23 campaign, Rodgers decided to provide the left-footed titan with an opportunity to stake a claim for a place in the Celtic first-team, and he grasped the opportunity with both hands.

He established a partnership with Cameron Carter-Vickers and went on to play a whopping 45 senior games in all competitions last season for the Hoops.

The 26-year-old colossus played 34 times in the Scottish Premiership for the Bhoys and helped the team to keep 14 clean sheets, winning 63% of his duels against opposition attackers in that time.

His rock-solid performances at the heart of the defence earned him a place in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year, alongside teammates Carter-Vickers, Callum McGregor, and Matt O’Riley.

As you can see in the table above, Scales has also enjoyed a strong start to the current Premiership season, despite competition from Auston Trusty for his starting spot.

The Irish brute has been even more dominant than he was last term in the division, winning a higher percentage of his duels on the deck and in the air.

Scales’ 45 Premiership appearances, dominant displays, and Team of the Year inclusion, since the start of last season show that he has provided great value for his £5k-per-week, and the same cannot be said of Bernabei with his £5.5k-per-week.

Why Celtic should sell Bernabei

Rodgers must ruthlessly cash in on the Celtic dud when the January transfer window opens for business, amid these planned talks with Internacional, as he failed to make the grade during his time in Glasgow.

In the 2022/23 campaign, after being brought in by Postecoglou for £3.75m, Bernabei only managed 15 appearances, including nine starts, in the Premiership for the Scottish giants.

The left-footed defender was dribbled past 14 times in nine starts and gave away one penalty, whilst he also lost a whopping 60% of his physical duels, which shows that he was a liability defensively as opposition players found it far too easy to get the better of him.

Bernabei was then handed eight league appearances by Rodgers in the 2023/24 campaign and was dribbled past five times and lost 53% of his duels in three starts.

His performances clearly did not impress the Northern Irish head coach, who sanctioned a loan move to Internacional from March until the end of 2024.

As you can see in the table above, Bernabei has made a big impact in the final third from a left-back position in the Brazilian top-flight this year, and made numerous tackles and interceptions per game on average.

However, his issues with being dribbled past too often and losing the majority of his duels are still present, which does not suggest that he would fare much better if given another chance at Celtic.

Therefore, Rodgers should get this £5.5k-per-week wages off the books and attempt to recoup some of the £3.75m spent on him by cashing in on the flop at the earliest available opportunity.

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