New Rangers boss Michael Beale has confirmed that there will be money to spend on fresh transfers in January as he looks to build a hungry squad to hunt down Celtic.
The Ibrox boss was speaking after being unveiled as Gers manager and claims that amid much discussion regarding the current squad, Rangers have committed funds to improving the side in the weeks ahead.
Rangers have had a mentally exhausting season to date with the Champions League humiliation and nine point gap in the title race ultimately costing Giovanni van Bronckhorst his job.
The Dutch coach insisted his now injury-ravaged squad was strong enough to challenge on all fronts – something which many fans disagreed with at the time – and whilst Michael Beale agrees he has suggested any new transfers will replace dead weight in the squad.
Specifically, those are players who fail to show the necessary commitment to haul back the points gap and hunt Celtic down in the second half of the season.
Michael Beale points to Rangers transfers
“In terms of resources, their spending power has been slightly bigger than ours,” said Michael Beale.
“But it’s game on. We’re not the have’s right now. In that particular battle, we’re the have-nots, slightly. So game on.
“There will be money available to recruit in January. I’ll be keen to do it if I don’t get the right vibe off one or two players in the squad right now.
“Without mentioning names, I have to get the right vibe off certain players. I have to know they’re still the boy that we recruited to come in.
“Because if they don’t want to be here, I don’t want them. And I don’t think the club does either. Have I got targets already? One or two but it’s more positional.
“If I didn’t think we could do it with this group of players, I wouldn’t have come back. By that, I mean everybody that’s available in our squad. If you write our squad down and put it next to our biggest rivals’ – OK then, it’s game on.
“I’m watching the World Cup right now and there are teams who are committed, together and beating sides outside their means. So if you put our two squads together? Game on. Let’s go, but we need everyone fit and together.
“The small wins for me at the moment will be around: ‘Are the players happy? do they know what they’re doing and are they training well’? If I can’t get those three things right, we’re knackered.”
Michael Beale isn’t the only one backing Rangers to make transfers either, with one under fire director leaping to the defence of his record over the last few seasons.
