It’s been quite a couple of weeks for Rangers. Various transfers, the NARSA convention, crazy internet rumours on various players and subjects; it already feels like an enjoyable summer, and it’s barely begun.
Let’s get some crazy ones out of the way first.
There’s no way, no way, we’re getting Batshuayi on loan. Some reports have suggested we’re looking at it today, but that’s beyond fantasy. We won’t see a player of that calibre at Rangers any time soon.
Rumours of a new retail deal seem to have some substance, but many who attended the NARSA convention were suggesting that we’d have Sports Direct as the main sponsor on the shirts as some sort of compromise. People who are better informed than I’ll ever be have said that won’t happen, and I don’t think our board would go down that road. What has already been a farcical situation would have a whole new chapter of lunacy if we did.
There’s been crazy Twitter rumours of players like Nani, Robin Van Persie or Miguel Veloso – I know the Barton signing came out of nowhere last year, but they aren’t going to happen.
So on to the more concrete rumours. Hopefully, we’ll have Pena and Herrera tied up soon after work permits are granted, so who else are we linked with?
There’s been recent noise from the Santos Laguna owner that we’re in talks with them. The journalist at the Sun, Andy Devlin, who seems to be getting a lot of info from the club, has stated today that we’re not trying to sign the right back Jose Abella as was presumed, so someone is incorrect. Abella has been linked since Caixinha came into the job, but it seems both Tavernier and Hodson will still be at the club next season. Whilst we’re spending some cash, I do think another right back may not be high on the list right now.
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Some rumours surfaced last night of Naismith being here for a medical before signing. The word is that he’s offered to sign, on reduced terms, but Caixinha doesn’t want him at this stage. Things may change, but right now Naismith isn’t coming back.
The deal for Dorrans would seem to be dragging on a bit, with the negotiations over his fee being the issue. I’m hoping we can get him signed, he’s a player I like a lot. Many who know quite a bit have been confident he’s signing for a couple of weeks now.
Jamie Walker is another name who has been heavily linked. It looks like he’s done with Hearts, and he’s seemingly a Rangers supporter. He’s done well in the league for a few seasons, and he’d be a very good squad option who has the talent to force himself into regular starts. I believe Rangers should always be looking to develop or sign the best in Scottish talent, so I’d like this one to go through.
Other Scottish-based players we’re rumoured to be considering are Kenny McLean, Jason Cummings and Liam Lindsay. Again, I wouldn’t mind if any of them are signed, but I suspect we would need to get rid of quite a few of the current squad before we’d pursue that further.
Daniel Candeias has suggested he’s open to a move, so I’d expect progress on that soon. The stories around Vladimir Weiss look to have been mistaken.
From the pre-season videos, many were worried that we couldn’t see McKay. I’m reliably informed he was definitely there, and there’s been no solid links to any other clubs for him as of yet. At the moment, the only player reported to be interesting another club is Garner. We’ll have a job on our hands moving on the number we seemingly want to.
And today, we’ve had an exciting rumour break about a Colombian forward called Alfredo Morelos, currently playing in Finland for HJK. He has a good scoring record, he’s only just about to turn 21, and his Youtube video looks great. These are the sort of players fans get excited about, so hopefully there’s something to that link.
Probably the two biggest rumours are related to off-field matters. As mentioned above, noises from the NARSA convention suggest a new retail deal is about to be announced. The fact we haven’t released a new strip, and our new signings haven’t been pictured in one, fuels those flames. Also from there, our search for a Director of Football is supposed to be over as we await the person we’ve hired leaving their current club. If both of these come to fruition, they are huge, and will be massive steps in the right direction.
We’ve already confirmed Alves, Jack, Dalcio and Cardoso, and the window isn’t even open yet. It’s been a good week!
Let us know if there’s anything you’ve heard by tweeting @rangersnewsuk and we’ll be happy to respond!