Daily Record owns up to duping readers over Charlie McCann deal

The Daily Record has admitted that it duped its readers with moonbeam claims over Charlie McCann’s transfer to Forest Green Rovers.

On Sunday they were in full flow as they informed their army of readers of a £350,000 transfer fee, add-ons and even a buy back option.

The slightest bit of research would show that the club sitting in bottom place in League One have build their squad entirely on free transfers and undisclosed fees. That pattern stretches back 10 years on Transfermarkt.

McCann did join Forest Green Rovers on Tuesday where his team-mates include Dylan McGeouch, Regan Hendry and Ross Doohan. On Wednesday FGR sacked their manager with Duncan Ferguson appointed on Thursday.

Details of the McCann claims stirred a nerve with FGR chairman Dale Vince, today the Daily Record reports:

The fee was widely reported to be £350,000 although the Ibrox giants officially stated the figure was ‘undisclosed’ and added ‘In addition to the undisclosed transfer fee, Rangers have retained a significant future sell-on percentage, as well as return options and matching rights on Charlie for the future’. However, that appears to have riled eccentric Forest Green Rovers chief Vince, who is famously on a mission to turn the Gloucestershire club into the greenest in the world. And he was keen to stress they had paid Rangers nowhere near that figure.

He said: “That figure is what Rangers said. It isn’t true. It’s a fraction of that price.” McCann, who switched international allegiances from Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland last year, could make his debut for Ferguson’s new club at Shrewsbury Town on Saturday.

On Sunday the Record presented a very different version to their readers:

Rangers midfielder Charlie McCann has completed his £350,000 move to English League One side Forest Green Rovers.

And the Northern Ireland Under 21s international has signed a three-and-a-half year deal with the ambitious Gloucestershire outfit. McCann, 20, came on as a sub in extra time in last week’s League Cup semi-final win against Aberdeen, but that was his first outing in a Rangers shirt since a 13 minute cameo sub appearance in September.

It’s believed McCann turned down the offer of a new deal with Rangers because he wanted a guarantee of first team football and has signed a bumper deal at Forest Green, who were promoted to English football’s third tier last season.

Rangers landed McCann in 2021 from Manchester United with the fee reportedly rising to £750,000 if he made a set amount of appearances for the Ibrox side. However, he made just one league start this season, back in September and McCann didn’t see a first team pathway for him at Rangers.

McCann switched international allegiances from Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland last year and was called up for their Nations League games in the summer without playing.

Rangers will receive £3350,000 plus add-ons for McCann who began his career at Coventry City and could make his Forest Green debut tomorrow at Bolton Wanderers if international clearance comes through in time.

I think that there is an extra 3 in that last figure, print sales of the Record dipped to 63,000 per day during December.