Rangers transfer prediction made after £5million windfall vs Servette amid ‘superb’ Jack Butland and Jose Cifuentes verdicts
Rangers “might be tempted” to spend the £5million won for beating Servette on a new striker because the summer’s signings up top “look short when it matters”, according to David Tanner.
The talkSPORT man reacted on Twitter Tuesday night (15 August) after the 1-1 second-leg draw in Switzerland which took the Light Blues a step closer to the Champions League group stage, calling new arrivals Jack Butland and Jose Cifuentes “superb buys” and January midfield signings Todd Cantwell and Nico Raskin “terrific”.
He questioned the suitability of the new-look front line however, with James Tavernier the scorer of the only Gers goal on the night, while Danilo missed a guilt-edged chance, after Sam Lammers had done the same in the first leg.
Micheal Beale has seen Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent this summer at the end of their contracts, and sold Antonio Colak to Parma before Fashion Sakala left for Saudi Arabia.
The Ibrox boss had made nine signings, of which Danilo, Lammers, Cyriel Dessers and Abdallah Sima have formed the forward department, with all four having scored a goal apiece in a Rangers shirt so far.
Adaptation
The translation of what looked like a very successful transfer window, which isn’t necessarily over yet, into performances on the pitch has been somewhat of a mixed bag so far.
Were it not for the opening day loss to Kilmarnock putting the pressure on immediately and leaving Beale playing catch-up on Celtic already fans would likely be more prepared to accept it is a work in progress to integrate so many new signings.
High profile misses in either leg of the Servette tie have drawn further attention to the expensive attackers, and should the Gers come up short this time around against PSV in the final qualifying round it would be tempting to think back to Colak’s impact a year ago and feel the team has taken a step back.
Big money has been spent on the strike-force so they will have to deliver, but there have been some encouraging signs and they have all, crucially, opened their accounts early.
It is fair to say that without Butland in goal Rangers might be out of Europe already, but that is why Beale made the effort to secure the former England international.
The manager certainly seems to know how to spot a midfielder with Cifuentes adapting quickly, which is perhaps little surprise as he arrived from LAFC mid-way through the MLS season, and Raskin outstanding in Switzerland.
Although Tavernier’s incredible ability to score crucial goals shows no signs of subsiding it is his defensive unit which is perhaps of slightly more concern than the attack in the long run.
In a few weeks time the team may have gelled to the point where early fears are proven unfounded, but the current evidence has left a few question marks in attack and defence that may yet need to be rectified if the right deal arises.
In other Rangers news, three clubs are chasing an “unsettled” Ibrox ace who wants to leave before the deadline.