Rangers’ transfers were exhaustive over the summer, but Barry Ferguson believes they could be in for even more.
Steven Gerrard claimed that he’s willing to go out and spend once more in January. After a defeat to Aberdeen in the Betfred Cup, the Rangers manager was furious with his side and demanded they shape up or get shipped out.
It was a harsh warning to his squad, who then didn’t react positively last night. Kilmarnock took a point from Ibrox in another unconvincing display, and heads will start turning to January.
Gerrard’s Gers have impressed many in the early stages of the season. There now looks, however, to be no doubt that Gerrard will look to strengthen in January.
Whilst question marks will be raised about whether he will be backed, Ferguson has no concerns on that front. Appearing on PLZ Soccer, Ferguson said the following:
“I don’t think he would have said that if he’s not going to be given the funds to go and strengthen. I think there is funds there for him in January, and I do think Rangers are still short of two or three players.
“He’s made some good signings but when you bring in 14 or 15 players not every single one of them is going to hit the ground running. There’s maybe 50 or 60 per cent of them who have done really well but the other ones have fell away a wee bit.
“He’s laid down the gauntlet and said, ‘If you’re not going to produce, you’re not going to be here so I will just go out and get someone else’. I do think the Rangers board will back him.”
How much investment
A couple of questions need answered ahead of January.
First off, just how much investment does this Rangers squad need? Gerrard brought in a total of 15 players to the club in the summer. It was never going to be the case that they all blended in easily without any hiccups.
Secondly, however, how much more will the club be willing to invest in January? Going over the top would be an open admission that the summer window didn’t go as well as planned.
There remains a few positions Rangers could do with tweaking in. Getting some cover for James Tavernier is essential for a start. He has played every minute of the season so far due to having nobody else available. It could be worth switching Jon Flanagan over, however, to help when Tavernier picks up a knock.
Despite the signings of Ovie Ejaria and Scott Arfield, Rangers could still do with some more quality between midfield and front. Rangers aren’t scoring enough goals, with teams now happy to sit on the defensive and soak pressure up.
Yet, whether the board will be willing to invest too heavily in January is doubtful. The team also deserves more time to prove their worth. A couple of bad performances can’t lead to mass January changes.
It would be more expected that Rangers make a couple of tweaks to their squad in the mid-season. Anything over that is likely going to have to wait until next year.
