The balance sheet at Celtic has benefited hugely from the club's participation in the Champions League this season.

Chief executive Peter Lawwell was, as you would expect, quite delighted to announce the club had virtually wiped out their £7million bank debt.

The good stewardship of the club off the park allied to the way the players and the manager have performed on it have put Celtic in a very strong position.

Because things have been good for Celtic on the park, business has been good off it. And with Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama looking odds on to leave the club this summer, the challenge for Celtic will be to look for their replacements while trying to build on the foundations that have been set this season.

John Park has done a fabulous job of overseeing the scouting network at the club and their preparatory work will already be well underway for the summer.

There is a strong sense of realism among fans who know that the club cannot come anywhere near competing with so many other leagues, simply due to a question of financial resources.

But the scouting side of the club have been particularly successful in recent years and these are the avenues that the club will look to exploit again.

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