Rangers fans hoping for a serious overhaul this January window might have to reel expectations in a speck. Rangers January additions might not be so easy.
Manager Danny Rohl wants to ship out a tonne of dead weight from Ibrox, including Danilo, Joe Rothwell and Kieran Dowell, but it’s the incoming that are proving as concerning.
Rohl
Rohl has admitted that while there are clear targets and players he wants to acquire this month, his hands are a bit tied simply on the grounds of logistics.
He said:
“I can’t say who will be in the squad by the end of the window. The club and the board know what we want to do. What we don’t know is if we can do everything we want. But we’re trying. I’m positive that we will not sign all the new players on the last day of the window. We can do something. I don’t want to say in the next two days because if it goes three, you ask me why. But it could be the end of the window when you find someone who can really make a big difference and you go again. We’re clear on what positions we need and what profiles we need. Now, it’s about convincing them, bringing them here. And in my experience from the last couple of January windows, they’ll need time to adjust to a group that is growing right now. It would be helpful to have players in for the cup game (v Annan next Friday) because we can maybe use them there.”
Put simply, like any window, Rohl and any other football manager know the type of players they want, and will have identified targets, but getting them to come is a whole other ball game.
Rangers’ problem at the moment is there’s no carrot for incoming players aside wages. There’s no Europe, and there are no attractive football icons at the club.
Big names
There’s no big-name manager like Steven Gerrard, and there’s no big Rangers men in the staff aside Steven Smith. There’s no likes of Gary Mac or Jermain Defoe. No coveted big names persuading new players Rangers is right for them.
And when this happens, the only carrots are wages and the Old Firm – because no player is coming to Rangers for the delights of league action.
This does reduce a bit the options Rangers have at their disposal. We’re not as attractive as we have been in the past.
Attractive
Of course fans don’t think like this – we all think ‘it’s the Famous Glasgow Rangers, who wouldn’t want to come to us’.
And it’s true – Rangers are a huge club. But that alone isn’t enough without major incentives, because, as we said, no one is coming ‘for’ the SPL. And SPL is all we can offer at present.
Naturally, the other part is wages – Rangers have money behind us now, and can afford to splash a bit on salary.
But then that thinking got us £40,000pw Danilo for £6M which has turned into a staggering waste of, thus far, £11M. Yes, really.
So we will not want to just chuck cash to get players.
Rohl will not have it easy for Rangers January additions getting players in this winter but we wish him luck.