David Dein has revealed that he was the driving force behind the push to get Rangers and Celtic admitted to the Premier League, but has admitted that it is probably not going to happen now.

“I once tried to promote Celtic and Rangers coming to the Premier League,” Dein, who was also vice chair of the FA, said.

“But I can’t see it happening because of the fear factor of clubs worrying about them coming to take their place.”

I would argue that it is less a fear factor, although that is certainly a part of it, and more a case of the clubs who make up the Premier League deserving to be there after either making their way through the lower divisions or holding their own in the top flight.

rsenal Football Club's former vice-chairman David Dein, speaks during a panel discussion at the Soccerex Global Convention 2016 in Manchester, north-west England, on September 26, 2016. / AFP / Anthony Devlin
Arsenal Football Club’s former vice-chairman David Dein, speaks during a panel discussion at the Soccerex Global Convention 2016 in Manchester, north-west England, on September 26, 2016. / AFP / Anthony Devlin

Surely, if any new clubs are to be added to the division they can only come via the traditional route. Even Rangers, when they went bust and were reborn, had to start at the bottom of the heap.

They were, in effect, a new club, and had to start like one.

Why should the Premier League be any different?

Also, and with no disrespect to the Scottish League, how do we even know that Celtic and Rangers would be Premier League standard?

What happens if they ended up getting relegated?

Would they get special dispensation because the whole point was to have them in the Premier League in the first place?

It is a wormy can that is best left shut.

If either side are so desperate to play in England, let them do what the Welsh sides had to.