As we mentioned earlier entry, there is a downside to the exits of Kieran Wright and Leon King. Both youth graduates will depart this summer having been offered no new contract, and their Rangers journey ends. Rangers lose many thousands.
Wright has been at Ibrox for some considerable time without a single first team appearance. Not even as a sub. While Leon King of course suffered the unfortunate incident of 2022 and Rangers’ defensive crisis. It stunted his development quite badly and he never became the defender that he probably should have been.
The purpose of Auchenhowie
But it is their exits this summer that is a slight issue of some consternation for Ibrox Noise.
The reason we mention this is the purpose of Auchenhowie. Auchenhowie is meant to produce players that Rangers sell.
Now, we are not talking about Nathan Patterson here. That is once in a blue moon to get the multi £Ms for a young star who turns out to be a gem.
No, we are talking about the conveyor belt of talent that we have spent money developing for the best part of 5 maybe 10 years for them to become a reasonably decent young player.
These kids join at the age of between 10 and 15 and potentially get sold as they become developed players into their late teens/early 20s.
Maybe they do not hit the heights required for Rangers, but honourably enough to be sold for compensation purposes to the lower leagues in Scotland or England.
Rangers receive no compensation
This has not happened with King or Wright. Rangers have spent many thousands developing these two.
Obviously, as we know, there have been other ones in there as well, but the problem here is they have been released and there is no income for them whatsoever.
Rangers get no compensation whatsoever for their development. And they are now free to go to pastures new and be a free agent signing for somebody else.
That is of course the power that Jean-Marc Bosman back in the day created for the player. They could run down their contract and if they were not offered a new one, they had free agency to join whoever they liked and likely get a signing on fee as well.
King and Wright can now do that, and that is fair enough, and we wish them the best.
But the problem for Rangers is that we get no compensation, no nothing. We do not get any cash back for the investment in their development that we have made. And that is not the purpose of Auchenhowie.
Rangers want academy profit
Auchenhowie is meant to be selling players on a more than yearly basis, indeed every transfer window.
Minor/modest players get sold who did not quite make the grade at the top senior level, but they will get sold for compensation levels and Rangers’ training ground will make a profit or at least break even through that.
The players that get released are a very unfortunate side effect. This is not what Rangers want.
It is part of the overall picture that not all players will get sold, but the problem is that Rangers do want to sell all the players that go through Auchenhowie that they have spent thousands developing over the years.
Alas, Wright and King will not be benefiting Rangers in that way. Rangers lose many thousands here. They will leave for pastures new and Rangers get no compensation.
Not the way that we want to run Auchenhowie, but alas, a side effect of certain circumstances that transpire.