Michael Beale breaks silence on Ryan Porteous transfer link after Rangers win v Hibernian
Michael Beale has made it clear that Rangers are not looking to sign Hibernian defender Ryan Porteous in the January transfer window.
In his first competitive match in charge as a manager, Beale guided the Bears to a 3-2 win against Hibs on Thursday night (15 December) at Ibrox, where Porteous was on the scoresheet for the visitors.
Alan Nixon shared on Twitter on 7 December that he has heard rumours of Porteous being wanted by Rangers, but no clubs have made any approach to sign the player as yet [The Scotsman, 8 December].
“Ryan is a good young player. He played in a new position and he scored a goal,” said Beale, as quoted by BBC Sport.
“My focus has firmly been on this group.
“I’ve seen him come through. I was here when he made his debut. He’s a big part of their squad and I wouldn’t want to speculate on that.
“I know it’s come out he’s not signed a contract. He must have something in his mind, but it won’t be Rangers because we haven’t discussed him yet.”
Feelings made clear?
Beale appears to have ended all speculation surrounding Porteous by saying “it won’t be Rangers”.
At the same time, he is aware that Porteous has not signed a new contract at Hibs, and that he could be on the move elsewhere.
The central defence is one area where the Bears could look to invest in the January transfer window, but Beale may reject such ideas, especially with key players gradually returning from injuries.
Ben Davies and Connor Goldson have returned to training, and the club expect to get John Souttar back by mid-Jnauary as well.
With Leon King making rapid progress, and James Sands adept at playing at the back, in theory, Beale would have loads of options to choose from once he gets his full squad back.
Possibly, the club could look to sign an attacking midfielder if they don’t reach an agreement with Ryan Kent in the next few weeks. Kent has a contract at the club until the end of the season, and doubts remain about whether he can be convinced to sign an extension.
In other Rangers news, an out-of-court agreement could be reached for the Gers as documents have been submitted.