£3m seems to vanish at Rangers, Douglas Park smokescreen can’t be ruled out
It’s safe to say Rangers enjoyed a fairly profitable January transfer window with Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell coming through the door.
Both players undoubtedly have immense quality and will be excellent long-term additions to Michael Beale’s squad. However, one player did escape intense interest from the Light Blues. Swansea City forward Morgan Whittaker was very much on Rangers’ radar throughout the course of the January window.
The Guardian’s Fabrizio Romano claimed (via Twitter, 27 January) Rangers had submitted a £2million bid for the former Plymouth Argyle loanee, who had managed 16 goals and assists in the first half of the season. However, the board couldn’t get a move over the line, with the Championship club holding out for more.
The Swans evidently value Whittaker at over £2million and for a player who is still young and enjoyed an excellent season, it’s probably a fair price. The reason why a deal didn’t materialise is because the Rangers board didn’t want to break the £2million threshold. He is contracted to the Championship club until the summer of 2025 and will still hold the same value in the summer.
The board need to take some responsibility here. Particularly when you consider the deals they did get over the line and the prices they managed to agree. Cantwell cost the Gers £1.5million (Sun Sport, 19 January) and Raskin cost could cost the Light Blues around £1.7million (Belgian football Journalist Sacha Tavolieri, 31 January).
Essentially, the board paid very little for both. Raskin in particular is a move where Rangers have saved a significant amount. According to T4O on Patreon back in August (2022), the Light Blues were in talks with Standard Liege over a move, with the Jupiler League side wanting £4.6million.
Due to Raskin’s contract entering its final year, the Gers were able to save nearly £3million by completing a deal in January. However, they seemed willing to negotiate in the summer, so where exactly has that money gone?
Has Douglas Park used the bargain deal they agreed for Raskin as a smoke screen to hold back further funds from Michael Beale’s transfer kitty?
Time will tell, but the club certainly saved money in January and there will be questions asked if it isn’t reinvested effectively in the summer window. £3million would see a move for Whittaker easily completed.
In other Rangers news, Alan Rough has predicted the score for the game against Celtic.