Rangers baffle with bizarre confirmed striker signing amid financial difficulties at Ibrox
Rangers making the decision to spend money on a striker who has not been ready to contribute at all in Hamza Igamane has baffled Derek Ferguson.
The Light Blues confirmed the Moroccan from AS FAR on 5 July in a deal thought to be worth around £2.5million [Scottish Sun, 25 June].
But the 21-year-old has not been a part of any squad through preseason or since the campaign started, and hadn’t even been in team training nearly a month after he joined [4 Lads Had A Dream, 30 July].
Philippe Clement confirmed on 23 August that Igamane is finally closing in on a debut with some late minutes off the bench [The Rangers Review] but ex-Ibrox midfielder Ferguson doesn’t understand the thinking behind spending on a future project when funds have been so tight.
He exclusively told Ibrox News: “The money’s been spent elsewhere. It’s been spent on the stadium, the museum, and then you look at the wages that a lot of the players are on.
“So financially we’re restricted. So I thought it was a really strange one to spend that amount of money.
“By all accounts he’s a good player but we don’t know this until we see him on the grass.
“To bring in a player that wasnae going to figure for at least two or three months I thought it was quite bizarre.”
Cyriel Dessers to lead Rangers line with no late striker expected
Igamane was seen as a definite coup for the Light Blues when the deal was being sorted [4th Official, 18 June] so if he proves to be a game-changer once he is finally involved then Clement and Nils Koppen will have been vindicated.
But there is not expected to be a number nine arriving at Ibrox before the transfer deadline [Chris Jack, 27 August] after main man Cyriel Dessers turned down an MLS move.
And after hopes of signing the likes of Lawrence Shankland from Hearts [Daily Record, 29 July] and Albion Rrahmani from Rapid Bucharest [Football Scotland, 17 June] the Gers currently look short if the Nigerian were to be knocked out of action.
In other Rangers news, the club are set to make three or more signings on Transfer Deadline Day.
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