Pundit moots ‘very expensive’ Rangers rebuild with James Sands and Malik Tillman deals up in the air
Rangers find themselves in an incredibly tough position with several deals up in the air, according to former Gers hero Brian Laudrup.
Writing his column for the Daily Mail, the Danish legend suggests that a big decision has to be made on the future of James Sands and Malik Tillman, both of them arrived on loan deals.
The Bears signed Sands in the January transfer window from New York City FC, and the Scottish club will need to pay around £5 million to sign him permanently, which they are likely to do, as reported by Tom Bogert on Twitter on 7 June.
Likewise, the Gers will need to pay around £6m to sign Tillman (who joined in the summer on loan) permanently from Bayern Munich, as shared by The Bild journalist, Christian Falk.
“Make no mistake, a massive rebuild is looming next summer. It’s an incredibly tough position. And, potentially, a very expensive one, too,” wrote Laudrup.
“You look down the list of players whose contracts are almost up. Allan McGregor is 40, Steven Davis is 37, Scott Arfield is 34. They have incredible experience but are nearing the end of their careers.
“You also have the younger, loan players in James Sands and Malik Tillman. Are they going to stay? Are they the right ones for investment in permanent transfer fees at this moment in time?
“Then, of course, there is Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos. It would have seemed unthinkable a couple of years ago that these two would end up out of contract.”
Tough situation
Thus, Rangers will need to dish out an expensive fee of around £11m to sign both Sands and Tillman permanently.
The Bears really find themselves in a tough position at the moment. They not only need to make a decision to sack their manager but also, the club need to decide on the futures of several players.
The veteran members – the likes of Allan McGregor, Scott Arfield and Steven Davies – are approaching the end of their careers, and the club need to bring in young players to replace them.
The situation of Sands and Tillman is interesting, These two players were signed by Van Bronckhorst, and if he leaves, Rangers may decide not to make their deals permanent in the summer.
Both Sands and Tillman have been decent for the club, but the club need to decide whether they need to pay such transfer fees for both.
The most critical issue at the moment is to sort out the futures of Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent, both have only a few months left on their deals.
Morelos has been really disappointing this season, while Kent has been inconsistent as well.
The next two transfer windows are vital for the club, and proper planning is required.
In other Rangers news, Robbie Savage has made a brutal SPFL prediction but Chris Sutton disagreed