When it comes to Rangers’ readiness, fans have posed this question quite a few times. It has come not just from Ibrox Noise, but from fans at large. Just what positions do Rangers actually need sorted out before this new season starts? Well, as we know, July 31, when Rangers travel to Tannadice, is not exactly far away. It is indeed barely even one week. Consequently, Rangers will not have the full complement of signings in by then. It is simply not going to happen. But who do we actually require? What is needed? Rangers require seven signings.
Rangers desperately need wingers
It is abundantly clear that Rangers are short on the wings. We know this. We have only two wingers at present, unless some fans count Findlay Curtis. That would be Gassama and Antman. That is all Rangers have.
Antman has a lot of potential and could be a much, much better player than his first season showed. Gassama is nothing more than an impact player with very, very poor decision making. We do not have any hopes for him. However, this still leaves potentially only one winger in a system in which Derek McInnes uses wingers. He needs more. He needs one left winger and one right winger.
We are hearing talk, of course, of Cozier Duberry, and there are those whispers of Cerny. Ultimately, nothing tangible has emerged yet. Something has to happen there. Rangers cannot go into the new season with this level of wing poverty. And Rangers require seven signings.
Rangers face central defensive problems
There is also the issue of defence, and this is a big, big problem. John Souttar is clearly not part of plans going forward. He has not featured at all in preseason, apart from his return to Auchenhowie after the World Cup.
He did not go to Spain and has not been part of the matchday squads. Rangers have not even pictured him sitting in the stands at Ibrox. He will be leaving. The question is where to.
However, the bigger question concerns who Rangers can sign at fairly short notice to fill the back of the rearguard. Rangers need at least two new centre backs. Ben Godfrey and Emmanuel Fernandez will not be enough alone. They are not even that great to start with. We are not super convinced by either of those two.
We need at least two more alphas. At the moment, they seem a long way off. The one previously mentioned, Diawara, appears set for Milan.
Full back options remain limited
Then, at full back, we have further problems. We only have one full back in total. We have Tuur Rommens, who may be a Rolls Royce, but he has no deputy. The James Penrice story went completely cold. We do not believe that he will be coming to Rangers at all. However, time will tell on that one.
On the other side, we really are in a bit of a pickle. Rangers do not have a right back. At all. We have two players who are identical in both career and maybe even ability. Ross McCrorie and Dujon Sterling.
Both players are primarily defensive midfielders by trade. However, clubs have curiously shoehorned both as right backs throughout their careers. Neither of them is particularly great in that position.
We would imagine that Sterling is probably the better right back. However, the pickings are not particularly strong there. Both are better in the middle of the park.
Rangers require several new defenders
Furthermore, there is a huge injury concern over Sterling. He is not reliable. We cannot rely on a player who gets injured as often as he does. For a strong boy, he definitely gets knocks too often.
That leaves us with Ross McCrorie alone, and he is simply not a right back. That is abundantly clear. Rangers need two right backs, a first choice and a deputy. It is not ideal.
Consequently, Rangers must bring in at least 5 new defenders. Add the two required new wingers, and Rangers really do still need to complete an awful lot of work. A lot of positions need to be filled. Rangers require seven signings. It is just not enough at the moment, and Derek McInnes will know that only too well.