Barry Ferguson reveals his envy over Celtic benchmark

As the search begins for a new Sporting Director at Ibrox Barry Ferguson believes that the benchmark is across the city.

Ross Wilson has left the building to scenes of celebration on social media but the problem remains of revamping a squad with seven first team players out of contract and question marks over a number of expensive summer misfits.

While Ibrox fans search for answers Celtic fans are delighted with what appears to be the rapid implementation of a proper Player Trading Model.

In the three years before Ange Postecoglou arrived transfer business was far more miss than hit with Vakoun Bayo, Marian Shved, Ismaila Soro, Patryk Klimala, Albian Ajeti and Vasilis Barkas turning out to be disastrous and expensive.

Without a Sporting Director or Director of Football that situation has been turned around with almost all of Postecoglou’s signings making a big impact with £10m plus fees likely from half a dozen or more players should Celtic decide to cash in.

From across the city Ferguson has watched with some envy, telling Daily Record readers about the model that has to be implemented at Ibrox:

When Celtic started entertaining offers for Josip Juranovic it did seem like a risky move, given how well the Croatian international had done for Ange Postecoglou in a short space of time. But, like I say, selling good players is the easy part so Celtic turned a tidy profit by raking in £7.5m for him from Union Berlin.

That’s good business in anyone’s books for a player who cost £2.5m just 18 months earlier. But Postecoglou had already identified Alistair Johnston as a younger, cheaper upgrade and brought the Canadian in a deal worth around the £3m mark. Juranovic will turn 28 this summer. Johnston is only 24.

That’s the way to work a proper ‘player trading model’ and it’s a sharp contrast to the way business has been being done on the other side of the city. If anyone tries to argue that Rangers have been stronger without Aribo and Bassey in the starting line-up then I’m afraid I would have to respectfully disagree.

It was the job of the sporting director to make the transition as seamless as possible last summer and, let’s not forget, Rangers did lay out a substantial amount of money in Scottish terms before the season started on Antonio Colak, Ben Davies, Ridvan Yilmaz and Rabbi Matondo.

You’re talking about the £12m to £13m mark there but does anyone seriously think Rangers got value for their money?. Colak’s been in and out. Davies wasn’t seen in a Rangers shirt for a long while but, up until the weekend, he has looked reasonably solid next to Connor Goldson in defence.

Yilmaz has also had injury issues but he’s been back fit for a few months now and he’s hardly had a sniff of first team football. And as for Matondo? I honestly can’t remember the last time I saw him kicking a ball.

This summer Postecoglou goes into his fifth transfer window with a very solid squad base but looking for that missing something to make is squad competitive in the Champions League.