Soccer Football - Scottish League Cup Semi Final - Rangers v Heart of Midlothian - Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - November 3, 2019 Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson before the match Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
During the first week in January Micky Beale looked deep into the eyes of his transfer targets to ensure that they were made of the right stuff for Ibrox.
After drawing at home to Celtic it was important to deflect from a nine point deficit in the title race with the prospect of jam tomorrow.
Momentum soon gathered that Todd Cantwell and Tom Davies were among the transfer candidates with Beale talking enthusiastically about both players. As ever, the former QPR boss has a deep knowledge of both players, monitoring them from his days coaching at the Liverpool academy.
The speculation intensified, there were rumours of players undergoing medicals, signing pre-contract agreements and all the usual noise.
Glasgow Live! even simulated how the season would turn out with Cantwell joining John Lundstram and Ryan Jack in midfield.
There was only one obstacle to Beale getting his players- money. Cantwell and Davies are just a few months away from becoming free agents, banking huge signing-on fees and EPL style wages.
Last Friday Beale admitted that he had done his bit, Ross Wilson and the money men would get to work to deliver the expensive recruits that the manager required. So far there hasn’t been an Aaron Ramsey or Amad Diallo to unveil and hype up.
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Going back to recruitment are you hopeful to get someone in by the weekend?
There is no timeline on it if I’m being honest but by the end of this window we will either have done the business we want to do or it will happen in the summer. I am very, very confident that before long you will hear news on some signings.
It is looking like a long wait for Beale to get his signings, earlier he had painted a flowery picture of his recruitment plan.
I don’t want any short-term gaps. For me, it’s about bringing in players who I think can make a big impact moving forward. There are ongoing discussions with players who are out of contract, so we’re trying to look at what the squad is going to look like in 2023, 2024 and onwards. In the past, we’ve made some key recruits that are still in the team now. It’s important whatever decisions we make are the right ones.
Naturally, I’m a little bit fussy at times in terms of that person. You can be where you want with the right player, you identify him and then discussions have to happen between the clubs and the agents. All that takes longer than what a coach would like but at the moment, with everything I’m hearing from behind the scenes I’m happy with the work that we’re doing.
Meanwhile there has been no progress in getting Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Scott Arfield, Ryan Jack, Steve Davis, Filip Helander or Allan McGregor onto new contracts.
Ah sevco the Tam Shepherds of transfer bingo.
But as time goes on and the klan klub fans become frustrated the players they still talk about coming into the klub through the media HYPE will be told they basically £10 to 15 million players they are getting for washers,but as they say you get what you pay for.
Hence the sevco klub linking up with Poundland and Poundstretcher to purchase a couple of players.
The fact that Beale is forced to play Morelos at all,
nevermind from the start of games,
and the probability that Beale will still have to play Morelos through to season end,
just sums up Beale’s predicament.
And even if sevco win both cups,
the real prize if the SPL title – and the automatic CL Group berth.
Beale isn’t going to get handed that elusive ‘Ibrox warchest’ in the summer either:
it will be “sell before you can buy”.
However, with the CL monies guaranteed, Ange can further strengthen the squad as soon as the summer transfer window opens.
It’s as though CFC has an unassailable advantage over sevco,
by having more money at its disposal!
🙂
Just read an article where it said that Cantwell would do well in Scotland because he’d be up against “inferior” defences. Let’s face it, the huns can’t cheat so easily in the finance dept. anymore. All the speculation was guff.
Usual BS, they are skint, they need players so what is stopping them, lack of money.
BS. about the future too, they are desperate to win the league, but don’t have the means.?
Instead they will fill the midfield with 2nd rate hammer throwers and try to kick Celtic off the park.
When Celtic gub them in the cup final the Barrow boy will throw his players under the bus, the script is there for all to see.