A QUIRK of geography placed Scotland and England together on the map.

In football finance terms, however, they are miles apart and drifting ever more distant. Ronny Deila absorbed the news that Sky and BT had agreed to pay £5.1bn to televise Barclays Premier League matches with barely a flicker. So what else is new? The Celtic manager may have only arrived on these shores eight months ago but, as someone who would likely consider himself a football obsessive, he was well aware of the gulf that exists between the major European nations and the rest when it comes to generating and spending money. He was not promised a massive transfer warchest from Peter Lawwell, the Celtic chief executive, when he signed his contract and did not expect one either. At clubs like Celtic, it is now about operating smarter, not trying to compete pound for pound with the neighbours across the border.

Fifteen years have passed since Martin O'Neill was plucking Chris Sutton from Chelsea, John Hartson from Coventry City and Neil Lennon from Leicester City, all for sizeable fees. In these more austere times, Celtic don't even send scouts to Premier League matches any more. Even for a club qualifying regularly for the Champions League, the disparity in income from domestic sponsors and broadcasters means that the Scottish champions can expect to pull in only a fraction of what even the worst team in the English top flight gets for finishing bottom. The growing obsession with the Premier League remains a source of bewilderment - are people really working themselves into a frenzy when Burnley and Leicester City are battering a ball around for 90 minutes? - but, for whatever reason, there is no sign of that bubble bursting any time soon.

Celtic, then, have three options if they wish to remain competitive. The first is to engineer a move to England, something likely to happen around the same time as the next Ice Age. Secondly, they must make Celtic a club where promising young Scottish talent - like Gary Mackay-Steven and Stuart Armstrong - and those from untapped, cheaper markets want to come and play. Thirdly, they must improve their own youth infrastructure to the point where they are producing players suitably equipped for operating in the Champions League. It is something that Celtic, the dominant force in Scottish youth football for the past decade, has struggled with, with James Forrest the only graduate of recent times to have established himself in the first team.

Deila is still getting his feet under the table after arriving from Norway last summer but is aware of the extent of the work needing done. His priority is to deliver instant success with the first team but hopes he can do so in tandem with addressing the bigger picture.

"The English TV deal does not affect us so much because we could not cope or afford the salaries in England even before this," he said. "It's just important that our supporters and the people in Scotland understand the differences from 10 or 15 years ago. That time has gone when you knew you could get big players in England coming to Celtic. The money in England now is so unbelievably different.

"So we have to be very good at what does not cost so much money and that is creating a culture of development and performances. We are also going to have good young players and you have to build up Scottish talent like Armstrong, Mackay-Steven and Liam Henderson. And maybe we also have to look for another market [to buy from] other than England."

Premier League clubs have scouts everywhere these days and will not hesitate to place a contract in front of a young player before he's even started shaving. Celtic, then, must find a way to stay ahead of the competition, by venturing into untapped markets or by making the club an appealing place to play.

"There are two ways to get players," Deila added. "One, they are Scottish and they want to come back and play for Celtic or other teams in Scotland. Or two, they are young and need to play. We have to be the best, not just in Scotland but in Europe. It's so hard to get the best because we have to bring in youngsters who are Celtic players, who can play in the Champions League. That is not easy. The scouting has to be very good and also offer a lot to the youngsters.

"We have to be the best at developing players. We have to build ourselves up so that every youngster in Britain wants to come to Celtic. They might think "maybe we won't go to Arsenal or Manchester United, we'll go to Southampton because we will get a chance". We have to be like that. We have to be among the best in Europe. Look at what Ajax are doing. The best youngsters go there because they know they can come through."

Deila would prefer to uncover new talent, but believes youth football in Scotland needs both investment and a significant change in mindset.

"I think the major problem for Scottish football is the facilities. How can youngsters play football on a pitch every day that's not good?

"We have to stop thinking everything is about the results. You have to start thinking about development. That is the only way a small nation has a chance, the same as Norway.

"In Norway they have 15 or 20 big indoor halls, maybe 30 smaller ones. That is what brings up good talents because they are working in an environment where they are allowed to grow. They don't think about results when they play.

"I think Scotland needs to do those too but the 'result pressure' here is unbelievable. If Motherwell play Celtic and there are 11 people in the 18-yard box, maybe they get a result. But they have not learned anything. And that does not help Scottish football."