Rangers transfer plans ‘to alter drastically’ after what Ray Parlour’s said
Rangers fans have had a mixed reaction to the appointment of Russell Martin as their new manager, and there may be even more reason to be sceptical.
Davide Ancelotti and Steven Gerrard were considered before Rangers sprung a surprise and handed Martin the job.
The Englishman, who had an underwhelming loan spell at Ibrox during his playing days, was dismissed by Southampton after one win in 16 games after their promotion to the Premier League, but is back in management in Glasgow.
Arsenal legend and pundit Ray Parlour has now questioned the appointment because of Martin’s status, claiming it could harm Rangers in the transfer market.
Parlour claims Martin cannot attract signings to Rangers
The potential appointment of Ancelotti could have seen some Real Madrid players follow him to Ibrox, but Martin was selected ahead of him.
Parlour has now told talkSPORT that this decision, as well as choosing the former Southampton boss over Gerrard, could mean that Rangers fail to attract good talent in the transfer window.
| Martin | PPG |
| Southampton | 1.58 |
| Swansea | 1.35 |
| MK Dons | 1.38 |
“If you’ve got Gerrard as manager, people would want to play for him because of his name,” he stated.
“There’s a project and players want to be part of that.
“I’m not knocking [Martin] – everyone deserves a chance – but people might look at him and ask if they really want to play for him.”
Martin faces uphill battle at Rangers
While most Rangers fans may be bewildered at the appointment of Martin, they will get behind the new manager as he embarks on rebuilding the team under new ownership.
However, Martin faces an uphill battle to win the fans over as a result of this scepticism, with criticism already directed his way that may not have been directed at Gerrard or Ancelotti.
Martin needs a fast start at Rangers and he needs to implement his ideas quickly, if he is to survive in such a high-pressure role.
If Rangers get off to a poor start next season, Martin may not be afforded the time to turn it around, and the Gers simply cannot afford to waste another campaign as they fall further behind Celtic.