If the impact of Vaclav Cerny has proved anything, it is that Rangers desperately need more depth on the wing to have any hopes of success.
Philippe Clement’s hands are tied with the manager needing to move players on before new additions can be signed – players like Rabbi Matondo and Scott Wright continuing to be given chances almost by default.
With Oscar Cortes out for at least a month, options have weakened again but Rangers, according to reports have been trying to do something about it after a £7m offer for Morgan Whittaker was rejected.
Morgan Whittaker given top billing amid Rangers transfer interest
A transfer looked imminent under Michael Beale, however, the then Gers manager played down the rumours that now look to have been accurate – the indecision could cost as much as £5m to the Ibrox coffers.
His side, Plymouth Argyle, had a difficult opening weekend after being hammered 4-0 by a Josh Windass led Sheffield Wednesday, not that it was all Whittaker’s fault.
Speaking on Sky Sports football ahead of the clash, Luke Chambers doesn’t think that he will be on the south coast for long:
“He doesn’t just stand on the wing, does he? He sets goals up, he scores goals, I think he scored one of the most outside-the-box goals in the Championship last season. He is such a dangerous player. I think he will be off. I can’t see him staying there. He will be a fantastic signing for anyone.”
Rangers could soon have money to spend
Rangers know that Europa League football is secured, and the departure of Sam Lammers frees up cash to spend in the forward department.
Cerny has arrived on loan but the drop in quality has been even more exposed by his signing.
Jose Cifuentes looks set to seal a loan-to-buy move to Greece that has an obligation to buy clause of some £4.2m – if Rangers fans were in charge of allocating these funds, another competent winger might be near the top of the shopping list.
There have been other players linked like Adama Traore who was in the “advanced stages” of talks, but that all went quiet.
Yusuf Kabadayi was all but announced according to some reliable sources and Couhaib Driouech confirmed that he had the chance to move to Rangers but chose to stay in the Eredivisie and sign for PSV Eindhoven.
There was too much detail in the original report for there not to be something in the link with Whittaker, a player Wayne Rooney is obviously keen to keep at Plymouth.
The price might be high, on this occasion though, the risk would be almost zero and Whittaker would be exactly the type of quality that can make an immediate impact and fit Rangers player trading model.
