Rangers manager Philippe Clement could not have been clearer about the Champions League impact on the Ibrox club’s transfer budget.
As Rangers prepared for their Champions League QR3 clash with Dynamo Kyiv, Clement had claimed that passage to the competition’s revamped group stage could ‘speed up’ this summer’s rebuild.
But as Rangers count the cost of their Champions League failure to overcome Kyiv in Glasgow, even missing out on the £3.7m playoff parachute payment has hit the club’s accounts.
Now, one of the most linked would-be Rangers transfer targets has been announced elsewhere as Philippe Clement is left lamenting a stuttering start to the season.
Rrahmani leaves Rapid
Albion Rrahmani is one name that Rangers fans have heard plenty about this window.
The Kosovan striker netted 19 goals for Rapid Bucharest last season, with Rangers linked to Rrahmani all the way back at the start of the summer.
Rangers are not the only ones who’ve been linked to Rrahmani either, with everyone from Portuguese giants Benfica to Premier League outfit Aston Villa mentioned.
But with Rapid Bucharest’s demands reportedly set around €8m (£6.8m), there were no teams wiling to take the plunge on the ex-FC Ballkani striker.
Until now.
Sparta Prague have just officially announced a deal to bring Albion Rrahmani to Czechia this summer.
Despite earlier price tags, the likes of prominent Romanian journalist Emmanuel Rosu are led to believe that Sparta Prague will pay around €5m (£4.3m) for the talented striker.
Rangers transfer focus elsewhere
That’s another high-profile Rangers transfer pursuit ending in disappointment in the shape of Albion Rrahmani.
It’s no surprise that the transfer has also been concluded after Rangers’ failure to reach the Champions League.
There’s a chance that moment sent a signal to the player’s representatives that a move to Ibrox was officially off the cards so Rrahmani’s attentions shifted towards Czechia.
The situation with Rrahmani gives an insight into the impact of Rangers’ failure to reach the Champions League group stage.
Whilst €5m is not a huge amount for many clubs, with Rangers on a shoestring budget the club must focus its resources on the areas of the squad which most require them.
A midfielder and another wide attacker are known to top the Gers’ summer wish list with Cyriel Dessers, Danilo and Hamza Igamane already propping up the solitary ‘number nine’ berth.
Let’s hope a failure to land Albion Rrahmani doesn’t come back to haunt us with Rangers fans used to several ‘ones that got away’ going on to big things in the game.
