Rangers‘ summer business has come in for major scrutiny as £11m of the club’s summer transfers aren’t seen in the 4-0 defeat at Celtic Park.
Of the club’s seven summer signings, only Bayern Munich loanee Malik Tillman and Croatian striker Antonio Colak started the game and both choked in Glasgow’s east end.
But the absence of four players in particular who have yet to make any kind of impression at Rangers has plenty bringing into question the work done by Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson in the window.
Rangers spent a combined £11m to bring in Ben Davies (£4m), Ridvan Yilmaz (£5m) and Rabbi Matondo (£2m) this summer and neither of them touched a ball against Celtic.
Rangers transfers fail to make Celtic mark
Of the three, only Yilmaz was included in the matchday squad but given the Turkish international’s timid start to Rangers life it would’ve potentially been an infringement on his human rights to chuck the 21-year-old on with his teammates bent over a barrel.
The fact that Rangers have spent this amount on three players who are having absolutely no impact at the club whatsoever and who have already overseen us falling five points in the title race is a genuine farce.
We wanted players to improve the first XI, so far these three have shown few signs of doing so and whilst players need time to settle they join the current squad members who’re letting the support down whether they like it or not.
This is Rangers, the pressure is intense and the fans are fierce. You either sink or swim and at the minute these guys are kind of flailing about in limbo as they try to find their bearings after being dumped into the Blue Sea of Ibrox.
There’s also John Souttar – not seen since opening day against Livingston – who after signing appears the latest name who could spent more time on the treatment table than the pitch.
Tom Lawrence – the most impressive signing amongst the latest recruits to date – had also joined the laughably long injury list heading into this game.
Souttar, Davies, Lawrence, Helander, Roofe, Hagi, Lowry and all the rest have our squad feeling both bloated and underwhelming at the same time.
The news Roofe and Helander have been excluded from the Champions League squad – suggesting they won’t be fit before the World Cup break – has just added to the hilarity.
One or two injuries is bad luck; this many, on such a consistent basis, points to woeful and negligent squad management and recruitment. With all this in the background how this Rangers board and management couldn’t see we need new recruits at least until January is staggering.
The club lack reliable depth up front, there is still no natural right winger, that top class “number 8” is still missing and the less said about the goalkeeper position, the better.
But yes, keep telling the fans there was no need for any more transfers this summer and that the Rangers squad is in fine fettle.
Meanwhile, a leading Rangers club insider has dropped a major hint regarding the future fee attached to a loanee taking Ibrox by storm.