If there’s been one constant since Steven Gerrard became manager, it’s been that £10M-£13M transfer kitty he’s had every summer.
2018, 2019, and even 2020 all saw a budget around that amount being used to enhance the squad, and see high quality players arrive.
18 obviously began it all, with Katic, Barisic, Goldson, Grezda, Lafferty, Murphy et al arriving for a combined total of about £10M, with a glut of excellent frees in there too.
19 saw Helander and Kent alone cost that, the rest all being low cost or free.
And summer 20 saw Roofe, Itten, Hagi brunting the main cost, again, around £10M, with, once more, a host of low-cost or free extras.
This summer, however, was different.
This is the first summer Steven Gerrard simply hasn’t had a penny to spend, relying on frees (Lundstram, Sakala, Ofoborh) or undisclosed low costs such as Bacuna. Actually, only Bacuna.
We said before this window got underway that this transfer period was critical, and that in order to turn the screw on Celtic and make a serious case for the CL we had to buy serious additions.
Instead, for whatever, reason, Gerrard didn’t get a bean.
Many will argue it’s because the squad was built, but that’s a complete crock – Walter did not stop signing players just because his existing squad was the best. You do NOT rest on your laurels and just stick with the same players. You keep reinvigorating.
Now, of course, it’s unfair to say we didn’t sign anyone. We got in four fresh faces. But the reality is the impact of these players has been negligible so far, and the squad we’re ultimately using is pretty much the same one as last season really.
What does this mean?
It means that while we crucially didn’t lose anyone this summer, pertinently we didn’t really bring in enough, and we spent the least in a transfer window that we probably have since summer 2015 and Mark Warburton’s arrival.
We don’t want to flash the cash and measure our club by how much we spent, but to grow in this sport, and at this level, that’s what you have to do, and Rangers simply didn’t do that this summer.
We dearly hope that lack of cost doesn’t cost us on the pitch.
Update: We’re astonished by the number of people who read this and slated us. There isn’t a word of fiction in this article – it’s clearly stating that factually we did NOT spend £10M this summer, and that was really about it. It analysed that difference between previous summers where we did. Somehow, a number of readers took this as some kind of attack on our transfer strategy. It is simply reality, and if you consider us observing the lack of spending this summer as being ‘cloud cuckoo land’, that’s on you not us.
Reality!?
This is Cloud Cuckoo Land stuff mate
The “reality” is there is no expensive additions because there is no extra millions to spend!
Also, that big spending of Walter’s time was kept going in the end by the dodgy way we paid players
I’d rather have this RANGERS strategy that buys to invest but doesn’t get into financial difficulties to do so than the bullshit David Murray pulled in the last few years of his tenure!
It is what it is and RANGERS are stitching together a really good team under very difficult circumstances and I think it’s been an amazing turnaround. I trust the expertise of the people now in stewardship of our club. They’ve earned that much!
This is not just a team that won the league, its a team that won the league by 25 points, i completely disagree, if we dropped 15 or 20 points over last season compared to this season, we’d probably still win the league at a canter.
I think to get 55 last season we probably gave Stevie more money than we could afford. That was a reflection on how bad we were before he arrived. Having got to that level we really needed to get to the Champions League to get amongst the big bucks. And of course Covid caused a massive hole in our finances. Having said that we have brought in players that would’ve cost more than £10m if they had been contracted to their previous clubs. They’ve still to click for various reasons but if 2 or 3 of them can step up then they can still make a big difference.
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