Rangers transfer news: Michael Beale impresses as Cyriel Dessers set to cap four more signings in next two weeks – Barry Ferguson
Barry Ferguson has been left impressed by the work done at Rangers so far this summer and expects three or four more signings to come in over the next couple of weeks.
Rangers announced Jack Butland as the latest player to join the club with the English goalkeeper signing a four-year deal, joining Kieran Dowell and Dujon Sterling through the Ibrox doors as Michael Beale gets his squad revamp underway.
And according to a Sky Sports update shared on Friday 9 June, the Gers are working on three more deals as Beale seeks to boost his attack with more talks planned for Cyriel Dessers, Jose Cifuentes and Sam Lammers.
Speaking in his Daily Record column [10 June], Ferguson admits he didn’t expect Rangers to get their business done so early and is impressed by the intent shown by Beale as he arms his squad for a full assault on a currently manager-less Celtic next season.
He said: “I’m impressed by the work that has already been done in terms of recruitment. The transfer market hasn’t even opened for business yet but Michael Beale has already brought in three new signings without spending a penny on fees.
“To me, that’s a clear sign of intent and an indication that the manager fully understands the scale of the job in hand – no matter who is in charge across the road.
“Yes, I’d have loved to see him going head-to-head with Postecoglou because, to put it bluntly, I’m a Bealever.
“It’s probably no coincidence that the Rangers boss was also spotted in Italy before the end of last season – and that he’s now bidding more than four million euros for Cremense striker Cyriel Dessers.
“It looks very much like a deal for the Nigerian will be concluded the moment the window opens up and, if it is, that’ll be another big tick in Beale’s box. I fully expect another three or four targets will come in over the next couple of weeks.”
Almost armed and ready
Indeed, Rangers’ business so far has been impressive even if they have largely exploited the free-agent market but it seems as though Beale hasn’t brought in the likes of Dowell, Sterling and Butland on a whim.
All three of those players were his top targets and he’s managed to convince them to join his Ibrox revolution which is much of the battle won in terms of recruitment. It is a clear sign of intent by Beale, especially with a squad that desperately needed some refreshing.
Celtic’s success last season seems to have struck a nerve at Ibrox and the Gers are certainly attempting to work quickly and efficiently to secure Beale’s top targets.
Rangers are almost armed and ready to do battle next season, and it’s pretty impressive we’re saying this and we haven’t even reached the pre-season mark yet.
A huge statement and plenty of encouragement for Rangers fans that Beale is hell-bent on ending Celtic’s dominance which will have been pretty boosted by the news that Ange Postecoglu has moved over to Tottenham Hotspur.
Regardless, Rangers can ill-afford to rest on their laurels all on the fact that Celtic may be impacted by that development. All they can do is focus on themselves, and ensure they enter the new campaign out of the traps with aggression and intent.
There’s still much to do before that can happen yet.
In other Rangers news, work permit issues have now emerged which means that the club may not be able to complete a major signing this summer.