Michael Stewart thinks Rangers will still face difficulties in the transfer market even if the Ibrox giants qualify for the Champions League proper.
Gers take on Dynamo Kyiv in the second leg of their third round qualifier at Hampden on Tuesday night and will be hoping to earn a positive result at the national stadium.
Cyriel Dessers snatched a vital 1-1 draw in Poland last week to keep the tie very much in the balance and Rangers’ guaranteed £30m Champions League hopes.
Philippe Clement fully understands the importance of qualifying for Europe’s premier competition from a financial perspective and confirmed Rangers’ transfer budget will increase as a result.
Of course, with that comes expectancy from the fans to conduct more lucrative transfer deals. But Premier Sports pundit Michael Stewart insists it’s not as easy as that as he explained why time is not currently on the club’s side at the moment.
Michael Stewart delivers Rangers transfer warning
Stewart reckons Rangers will be fighting against the clock until the summer transfer window closes to bring in a higher quality of player despite the guaranteed riches of the Champions League.
He said that will then impact the Ibrox side’s chances of improving their hopes of challenging Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
Speaking on The Scottish Football Social Club streamed by Premier Sports, the controversial pundit told host Darrell Currie: “The other concern is that you can see with Celtic, there’s not a great deal of transfer activity yet.
“But if Rangers get into the Champions League, and hopefully they can do that, it’s very difficult to do deals quickly for the calibre of players Rangers will be looking and needing to bring in to then go and challenge domestically.”
Rangers crying out for more quality
So far, Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen have made nine new signings this summer.
Mohamed Diomande’s permanent transfer was the first to be secured in June while defender Robin Propper became the latest squad addition at the beginning of August.
But the average age of the new recruits stands at just over 23 years old, suggesting the general lack of experience Clement has brought to the club.
Of course, these guys are clearly talented and have potential but they have not been signed up to compete in the Champions League league phase.
Rangers need to do everything they can to get past Dynamo Kyiv and then either FC Twente or RB Salzburg in the play-off round to boost the club’s coffers.
It’s then up to the board to provide more funds for Clement to recruit specifically for a Champions League league phase campaign because we don’t want a repeat of the 2022/23 season.
Stewart has a point about working against the clock but it’s crucial the club do their all to be as prepared as possible for Europe’s premier competition – if indeed Rangers get there.
