George Overhill

Sat 24 September 2022 20:40, UK

The news that Rangers failed in pursuit of Hertha Berlin striker Davie Selke during the summer transfer window is unlikely to go down well with supporters.

Questions are currently being asked for director Stewart Robertson, and of sporting director Ross Wilson, in light of the fact that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side were hammered three games in a row, starting with the Old Firm derby on 3 September, while largely fielding players who won the 55th league title under Steven Gerrard over a year ago.

Recruitment has therefore come under heavy scrutiny despite a summer transfer window that saw the arrival of seven senior signings, while Robertson is now disputing the club’s spending power [Rangers Review, 21 September].

An optimistic outlook as the window closed might have seen it as a decent haul, but the 4-0 loss at Parkhead, followed by defeats to Ajax and Napoli in the Champions League with plenty of those brought in conspicuous their absence, has put a much gloomier spin on the summer.

With a run to the Europa League final last year, qualification for the top competition’s group stage after over a decade away, and the sales of Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo in the summer, supporters want to know where the money has gone, and why the side hasn’t been strengthened adequately since the league triumph.

So the fact that according to Bild on Saturday (24 September) the club were after Selke, 27, in the summer despite the fact that he has scored 15 goals in all competitions over the past four seasons will not help.

Antonio Colak is the one definite success from the window just gone, netting nine times in a Gers shirt already and helping cover for Kemar Roofe’s absence and Alfredo Morelos’ latest shenanigans.

In the same period the Croatian international scored 68 times to give an indication that he was more what Rangers should be looking for.

While it is true that they were not the only team after the former German under-21 international, with the likes of West Brom, Basel and FC Copehagen also failing, he looks to be a glaring example of what the supporters are so unhappy about currently, namely that recent success has been undercut by the lack of ambition from the hierarchy.

That it has allowed Celtic to become domestically dominant again so soon after that control appeared to have been snatched away is making the issue all the more galling.

Malik Tillman appears a shrewd pick-up, and John Souttar should be as well when he is back from a long-term layoff, but the collective return on the rest is so far negligible.

Midfielder James Sands is the regular starter next to Connor Goldson in defence currently instead of Ben Davies, and despite Borna Barisic continuing to blow hot and cold Ridvan Yilmaz has barely been seen, which is not a glowing endorsement.

Tom Lawrence and Rabbi Matondo could come good but haven’t yet offered enough, so there is a growing view that the powers that be have been aiming too low, when what was thought to be a major financial boost should have lifted the level of signing that was possible.

To be pursuing a 27-year-old forward who will have little resale value, with such a low goal-return over a number of years, and to not even be successful, isn’t a great look for a side that gained so much attention in Europe last year and wants to regain supremacy in a heated rivalry.

In other Rangers news, the club are set for crunch talks in the next week over a £150million deal.