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Barry Ferguson shares Rangers transfer admission as Philippe Clement urged to pay 'premium' for new signings
There has been a missed opportunity for Rangers to sign young Scottish talents in recent years, according to Barry Ferguson.
Writing for the Daily Record on Thursday (19 October), the pundit said he understands that sometimes you have to pay a “premium” for domestic players, but that Josh Doig, Max Johnston, Lawrence Shankland and his nephew Lewis Ferguson could have “done a job” for the Gers.
He called upon the new Light Blues boss to have a “second look” at some of the talented prospects in Scotland after the team has “lost a bit of its identity” this season.
“For me, there’s been missed opportunities to sign talented young Scots,” said Ferguson. “Guys like Billy Dodds, Neil McCann, Kenny Miller, Kris Boyd, Naisy and Steven Thompson all came in down the years and made huge contributions when I was at Ibrox.
“Ok, I get sometimes you have to pay a premium to sign from your rival domestic opponents but I look at the likes of Josh Doig, Max Johnston, Lawrence Shankland and my own nephew Lewis and think there’s a group of players who could certainly have done a job for Rangers.
“The team has lost a bit of its identity this season but if Clement is to make first impressions stick, maybe he should have a second look at some of the talented prospects on his new doorstep.”
Worth considering
It is definitely worth Clement considering having a look at the young talent domestically because there are players around that could potentially add to the team.
Ferguson is right that those four names could have done a job at Rangers over the past few years after some foreign players have failed to live up to expectations.
Michael Beale brought in a number of players from abroad over the summer and the majority have so far disappointed during their time at Ibrox.
Perhaps some of the names mentioned could still be decent additions for the Gers because they know exactly what the league is about.
Clement will now be assessing the players he has in his squad closely as he works out who is good enough to be part of his squad moving forward as he looks to get the club back on track this season.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton has shared an “absolutely massive” opportunity for Clement at Ibrox.