Why Rangers' transfer strategy just isn’t working

By Gavin Valentine

Rangers have had their fair share of problems with recruitment in recent years

Rangers are a club that claims to boast a player-trading model which has been vastly successful for other clubs in the past. However, Rangers haven’t quite been able to find the same effectiveness that so many others have.

In recent years, there have been four players in total which Rangers have sold for significant fees. Those being Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara, Calvin Bassey and Nathan Patterson. Even though these sales have been lucrative for the club, the profit made has almost been entirely squandered on players not fit for purpose.

The 2022/23 summer transfer window is a great example of this. Approximately £13m was spent with most of it being a waste. Ridvan Yilmaz was the most significant fee, and he looks set to leave on loan with an option to buy to Italian side Hellas Verona which would represent a small financial loss.

Yilmaz has never had a consistent run in the team to prove his worth and now looks set to leave (Image: Getty Images)

In terms of successful permanent transfers, Antonio Colak could be highlighted, scoring 18 goals in 39 games. One of these even sent Rangers to the Champions League group stage for the first time in 11 years. Colak was sold off by Michael Beale to Parma in the summer in favour of Cyriel Dessers.

Also, look at the way Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos were handled: Two of the club's most sellable assets were both allowed to run down their contracts. Morelos was even subject to a £16m bid in 2020 which at the time was turned down. Looking back on it, this was truly baffling and goes against the way the club claims they want to run.

Kent joined Rangers for £7m in 2019 after a successful loan spell, only to leave for free at the end of his contract (Image: Getty Images)

Some of the players Rangers have missed out on in recent years include Joey Veerman and Andreas Skov Olsen, both have become star players for their new clubs. Veerman was linked with a massive move to Manchester United last January after moving to PSV for a bargain fee of just £4m.

Veerman scored against Rangers for PSV in their Champions League play-off victory earlier this season (Image: Getty Images)

So, it truly doesn’t make sense for a team claiming to have this player-trading model to be willing to lose out on these potentially massive future fees. Especially considering the fees Rangers spent in the summer on players like Sam Lammers, who has now been loaned to FC Utrecht for the rest of the season.

Other players who have failed to get going at Rangers include Rabbi Matondo and Ben Davies. Matondo was signed for a reported fee of £3m but has struggled with injuries and when fit has lacked game time due to poor performances. Davies also cost approximately £3m and has faced similar issues since signing in July 2022.

The club has also faced its fair share of injury issues, so it is important to keep this in mind as well. Danilo looks likely to miss the rest of the season, meanwhile, Nicolas Raskin just made a return against Kilmarnock after being out since late October.

Understandably, Rangers have had financial issues in the past, of course, the club wouldn’t want a repeat of what happened in 2012. But when you look at the outlay in recent years, it contradicts any claims that there are any fears of this.

John Bennett, Rangers Chairman, said: “Player trading will always be inherently volatile, yet Rangers must replace sporadic ‘wins’ with systematic success. It is a given that it all begins with player recruitment.”

Rangers Chairman, John Bennett (Image: Getty Images)

Whilst Bennett may be correct about needing systematic success, he has been part of a Rangers board who have created a squad with few sellable assets. Most recently, Bennett gave previous manager Beale free rein to oversee a vast array of transfers, most of whom will see Rangers making a significant loss.

On a more positive note, there are a few players in the Rangers squad who may go for sizeable fees if sold at the right time. Todd Cantwell, Nicolas Raskin and Ross McCausland all stand out as possible candidates and Rangers must let them go when the time comes.

Recently, Rangers have been linked to Marko Bulat from Dinamo Zagreb but a reported asking price of £5m may put Rangers off making a move. Admittedly, this would be a large fee to spend especially in January and when you consider players that they have lost out on in the past, it may be a worthwhile investment. Although this would be a good time for the Rangers board to put their money where their mouth is given what is up for grabs come the end of this season.

Rangers lost the recent Old Firm derby 2-1 and it was clear how badly they need signings. Despite this, the race for the title is tighter than it has been in the past with Rangers being eight points behind with two games in hand on Celtic.

Potential money gained from the Champions League next season is simply too much for Rangers to miss out on given the financial gulf between them and Celtic. Even with the chance that Rangers may qualify for the group stages even if they finish second, they need to stop Celtic in their tracks. Doing so would create a far more even financial playing field.

The recent appointment of Nils Koppen suggests that Rangers are trying to improve their shortcomings in recent years. However, the club are certainly keeping their cards close to their chest when it comes to January targets and are quick to quash any false rumours.

There has been a positive attitude from the fans since the arrival of Philippe Clement and this has been reciprocated by the players. It is now pivotal for the Rangers board to get this transfer window right otherwise this could all change. Considering the position that they’ve found themselves in it is simply not an option for them to let the fans and the manager down.