Celtic Chief Exec Likes Elite League Idea

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell says his club has not ruled out the possibility of joining an elite European league.

Speaking at the launch of the club's new multi-million pound kit deal with American manufacturer New Balance, Lawwell said there was appetite for the set-up from other top clubs throughout the continent.

"We feel we have real potential, the fact that we play in a domestic league in a country of around five million people," he said.

"We have seen the way media values have gone in other nations and of course we get frustrated at times and we feel that if we were part of that there would be no limits.

"We have the responsibility as a club and a board of directors to look for opportunities which will allow Celtic to maximise its potential so we never give up.

"And we are not alone in that. In Europe alone there are a lot of second-tier leagues suffering from the same problem so there are issues around and I think solutions will be found over the coming years."

Meanwhile, manager Ronny Deila concedes a backlog of fixtures could hamper his team’s chances of winning the treble.

Deila hopes to be the first Celtic manager to complete a domestic clean sweep since Martin O’Neill, also in his debut season, in 2001.

As well as leading the title race by six points, the Hoops have already reached the League Cup final and play their Hampden opponents Dundee United in the Scottish Cup quarter-final this Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

The Tannadice tie will be Celtic’s 47th game of the season, and by the end of March the team will have played 10 fixtures in 35 days.

“We have played so many matches now in the last month, and we knew that it was going to be very tough," said Deila.

“In the last six days we have played three matches, and we have done that before as well. In the end it is very tough to keep up the energy.