Rangers investor hails ‘brilliant’ Ross Wilson for role in two transfer deals last summer
Rangers investor Stuart Gibson has insisted sporting director Ross Wilson is doing a “brilliant job” at Ibrox, despite the growing animosity from the club’s fanbase.
The Gers board came under yet more pressure during Saturday’s (4 March) 3-1 win over Kilmarnock when the Union Bears supporters group unveiled a banner that claimed the club’s hierarchy was “taking their eye off the ball”.
During an interview on the This is Ibrox Podcast (Monday 6 March, 24:40), Gibson – who is the third largest single shareholder in the club – admitted Wilson “knocked it out of the park” with the £20million sale of Calvin Bassey to Ajax and the deal struck with Southampton for Joe Aribo last summer.
He said: “Ross Wilson is doing a brilliant job. He doesn’t have ample resources to work with but he knocked it out the park with Bassey and Joe Aribo.
“They are massive home runs for the club. There’s some signings made last summer we were unlucky with injuries and some of the players have yet to make their mark and get to know the fans but Ross Wilson has done an excellent job and continues to do so.
“I know in the dying days of Gio’s managerial reign with Rangers he was getting a lot of flak and it was extremely unfair.”
Three strikes gone
How Wilson can still be receiving praise for his deluded and muddled transfer strategy is beyond belief.
In recent years, the stark contrast between Rangers and Celtic’s transfer strategies have been stark, and the gap between the two sides was plain for all to see in the Viaplay Cup final defeat.
Michael Beale’s most creative player Ryan Kent has been allowed to run his contract down to its final months, while Alfredo Morelos is also expected to leave in the summer for a next-to-no fee.
Wilson simply can’t hind from the fact that he has led the club’s transfers over the last five years. Yes, the club did well to broker a £20million deal for Bassey in the summer, but this doesn’t make up for the countless transfer blunders he has taken charge of.
The fans have lost faith in Wilson, and the summer seems the best time for him to step aside and let someone else take the reins at Ibrox.
In other Rangers news, a former FIFA official slammed a decision from Collum and then got Stephen Craigan’s name wrong.