Rangers boss Philippe Clement couldn’t have been clearer about the impact of Champions League cash on his ambitions at Ibrox.
The Belgian manager is fully committed to the cause at Rangers and has a vision for the future of the club alongside which he has urged patience to supporters increasingly devoid of it.
But as Clement begins to turn the tide in the Rangers squad, ahead of the clash with Dynamo Kiev the finances on offer in the Champions League have been the subject of much discussion.
“Together we want to create a really good story and a strong story for the future,” Clement told a pre-Dynamo press conference. “The Champions League can make the story go faster.”
At the same time, across the city Old Firm rivals are preparing to open the cheque book on a player who twice made the difference against Rangers last season.
The prospective £9.5m deal for Adam Idah stands as evidence of the challenges Clement must overcome to succeed at Ibrox.
It’s also evidence that Champions League cash is king in the club’s ambitions under the Belgian.
Rangers & Celtic difference in transfer market laid bare
At the same time as Celtic are opening their chequebook to sign Adam Idah, Rangers boss Philippe Clement has been lamenting a lack of movement out of Ibrox.
Rangers’ transfer budget – although the Gers have invested over £11.5m already this summer – has been stretched thin.
The club need to see some of those high-earners who aren’t contributing move on with Rangers waiting on three exits to create space for new arrivals in an already bloated squad.
Celtic have the power to go out and strike such a sizeable deal with their automatic Champions League qualification giving the club an automatic £30m cash boost this summer.
Clement on the other hand has spoken about his frustration at a lack of outward movement as Rangers try to navigate the tournament’s tricky qualifiers.
“I didn’t hear anything that something is done with somebody, and that’s a pity,” said Clement.
“We have several here still in the building or like Cifu not in the building and because of that it stops also to get other players.
“But for the moment I didn’t hear that somebody is officially going somewhere else.
“It’s not the nicest thing. But you need to adapt.”
Rangers must plug Old Firm financial gap
Celtic have routinely been lambasted by their own fans about a lack of spending but the Parkhead side have flexed their financial muscle with a move for Adam Idah.
Devastating mismanagement at Rangers on the other hand leaves Philippe Clement working on a shoe-string budget trying to rebuild a squad which has suffered at the hands of negligence.
Rangers had rebuilt themselves to Scottish Premiership champions in 2021 only to take a nice long nap instead of ‘fixing the roof when the sun was shining’.
Post-Covid hesitancy in the transfer market led to the club falling short in the Champions League, before domestic failures aplenty were coupled with high profile players running down their contracts.
There have been too many what might’ve beens in the transfer market to mention and Rangers have blown the cash earned from the run to the Europa League Final, qualification for the Champions League and from the high profile sales of Nathan Patterson, Joe Aribo & Calvin Bassey.
It’s also been Rangers’ contribution to the coefficient, and the club’s ineptitude in the Scottish Premiership, which has gifted Celtic three back-to-back Champions League qualifications.
Brutal failures on the club’s retail front also haven’t helped.
With the gap threatening to get even wider this season, Rangers News and Philippe Clement don’t need to tell you about the difference Champions League qualification will make to the club.
