PETER LAWWELL first joined Celtic in 1990 in a role that at the time was rather comically entitled Financial Controller. In other words he minded the biscuit tin.

There wasn’t much in the way of finance back in the day at Celtic Park, never mind control, and the club stumbled on for years in the shadow of Rangers who rather lorded it over their poor, in every sense of the word, rivals on the other side of the city.

“For every £5 Celtic spends we will spend ten,” so boasted Sir David Murray then in charge of Ibrox and in truth much of Scottish football. It was a put-down that worked on a number of levels, one of them being that rarely if ever did Celtic’s spending make up half of what was happening over the road.

Of course, we now know that Murray’s words came back to haunt him in ways none of us could imagine 20 something years ago. Is this the quote that Lawwell, now chief executive, and others inside Celtic Park use as a motivational tool when they get up in the morning?

It is Celtic who today are the big spenders in a sense that for every tenner Rangers can afford, they can spend five times that amount albeit on a smaller scale. Which brings us to Scott Allan who may soon be wearing green and white hoops, presumably for the first time in is life.

From the outside looking in, you can’t help but speculate whether this is a bit of PR or to use the Glaswegian parlance a “get it up ye.” We’re the big boys now and without so much as flexing a financial muscle we can take one of your own from under your nose with some of the kitty, goes the message.

Despite this, Rangers would still have felt that Allan would have been gettable. But Hibernian decided they would be prepared to sell their best player to anyone else but the one team, you and they would imagine, stand between the Edinburgh club and promotion this season.

There are some who would seek to blame Dave King and the current Rangers board for this. While it’s true many of the promises made by the South African-based businessman have yet so far to come to fruition, would Hibs really have let the 23-year-old midfielder go to Govan even if they had received a bid close to the £1million they rate their man? That is extremely doubtful.

So Celtic pounced. They will say it is good business and, while this would never be uttered in public, it gives their fans something else to gloat about, as if they didn’t have enough ammunition.

Of course, there is a football aspect to all of this. Allan is a talent, no question, he is young, Scottish and with the technical ability to play in the Premiership and perhaps even in Europe. So he’s hardly just a pawn in some game of one upmanship.

A puzzle, however, is where he would fit in. Celtic are strongest in midfield and while no squad can be too good, would Allan choose to move to a club he was far from being guaranteed a game?

Nit Bitton is the best player at Celtic. Alongside him is captain Scott Brown behind Player of the Year Stefan Johansen, plus Tom Rogic has done well since fighting his way back into the team and not forgetting Charlie Mulgrew who can also play there. It's a crowded area of the pitch.

There is also one other thing Allan has to consider. Is this going to be worth the hassle?

If Allan does move to Celtic then walking down the street untroubled is going to be difficult. If he stays at Easter Road on loan for one more season, the reception he will receive at Ibrox, where he used to watch games as a supporter, will be less than warm.

This is not his fault and while you might view them as First World problems, it is something he, his family and advisors should consider.

It could put off even the strongest of personalities, however, as one agent once told me having sat in the Celtic boardroom with Lawwell with a player who was uncertain about moving to the club; “Peter can be the most persuasive man in the world.”

And, anyway, he is hardly the first self-confessed bluenose to sign for the other lot in Glasgow. Check the history books, these ex-Bears tend to do rather well.

Ronny Deila yesterday did a great impersonation of a Norwegian downhill skier in the way he dodged any direct question about Allan. What he did want to talk about, however, is why Celtic are concentrating their scouting on the Scottish scene whereas before they would look down south.

“England is a market to itself at the moment. It is very hard to get value down there but it’s different to all other countries,” said Deila. “There is talent there because they have such big squads and it is hard to break through.

“You can find guys who maybe haven’t quite made it, players like Boyata, and bring them in. You need to have your eyes open but the time has gone to bring in big names from England.”

This means Celtic will continue to pilfer their direct opponents; ominous news for everyone else.

“We have brought in three players from Dundee United and we are looking at other Scottish players,” said Deila. “There are a lot of good players in Scotland. If players do well in the league then we will look at them.

“We have to have control of our country first and then look to other countries. If I am looking at two players are similar and one is from Scotland and one is from abroad, I’ll pick the Scottish one."

For every five players you spend money on to bring through your youth academy, we’ll buy at least one of them. That seems the Celtic motto right now.