Rangers are facing increasing scrutiny over their transfer strategy and early-season performance, with chairman Andrew Cavenagh's stated aim of a 'pro-Scottish bias' appearing to lack tangible results. The club has spent approximately £70 million in the past year, yet many of the players brought in have failed to make a significant impact, and the team has struggled in crucial early matches.
In mid-May, Cavenagh outlined a new direction for the club following a season marked by "collapse and chaos." He emphasized a shift towards a recruitment policy with a "very distinct ‘pro-Scottish bias’." However, the current approach involves a multi-person recruitment structure, including technical director Dan Purdy, performance director Stig-Inge Bjornebye, manager Derek McInnes, CEO Jim Gillespie, Cavenagh himself, and Gretar Steinsson of 49ers Enterprises.
Cavenagh's assertion that the January transfer window "worked well" is met with skepticism. During that period, the club signed Andreas Skov-Olsen on loan with a view to a £9 million transfer and committed over £5 million for Ryan Naderi, who has since offered little indication of being an improvement. Tochi Chukwuani was also acquired for £4.3 million, but his long-term role in the first-choice XI remains uncertain.
Coaching and Team Performance
Head coach Danny Rohl, who was initially given full backing, departed for Red Bull Salzburg. His tenure was marked by an inability to significantly alter the team's trajectory, inheriting a difficult situation from Russell Martin and incurring considerable costs. Rohl himself suggested he might not have been ready for the demands of the job at Rangers.
Now, manager Derek McInnes is tasked with rebuilding. The team's start has been poor, with a draw against Dundee United and a 2-1 defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok in the first leg of Europa League qualifying. McInnes has acknowledged the substandard nature of the performances, drawing parallels to the team's issues from the previous season. He has called for the recruitment team to bring in necessary players, with winger Daisuke Yokota being an early arrival. However, more signings are deemed essential for the squad to compete effectively.
The disconnect between Cavenagh's promised strategy and the club's current reality is apparent. The "chemistry, leadership, steel, and footballing IQ" Cavenagh identified as essential components for a rebuilt side were notably absent in the match against Jagiellonia. Players were observed giving up possession easily and struggling to maintain cohesion.
Recruitment and Player Profiles
Despite the stated intention of building a Scottish core, the transfer business has not reflected this. Of the nine signings, only Ross McCrorie and Lawrence Shankland are Scottish. McCrorie is considered a squad player, while Shankland's impact at a higher level has been questioned. Cammy Devlin possesses Scottish league experience, but potential targets like Couhaib Driouech and Jahnoah Markelo are foreign.
Cavenagh's statement that "if you have two players roughly equal and one is Scottish, we will take the Scottish player" has not been consistently demonstrated. The arrival of Scottish players like Lewis Ferguson from Bologna remains a distant prospect. Alarmingly, seven of the players who underperformed last season have featured in the initial starting lineups.
Several foreign signings, including Nico Raskin, Thelo Aasgaard, and Manny Fernandez, have displayed inconsistency. Fernandez's defensive errors in early matches have been particularly concerning. Players like Mohamed Diomande and Chukwuani have had limited impact, and even recent arrivals like Tuur Rommens appear to be affected by the team's overall malaise.
McInnes' appointment, seen as a pragmatic move by a "Rangers man," has not yet translated into improved team organization or resilience. The team currently lacks the characteristics of being hard to beat. With the transfer window closing soon, McInnes faces a significant challenge in aligning the club's leadership, recruitment strategy, and the existing squad to contend for the title, particularly when the chairman's squad-building blueprint and many player performances suggest a lack of direction and costly mistakes.
