Russell Martin in ‘big trouble’ as Rangers transfer news continues to fly in – Chris Sutton
Russell Martin has come under heavy fire from the Rangers fanbase, and time may be running out for him at Ibrox.
Martin was heavily booed by Rangers fans after their 0-0 Old Firm draw with Celtic, with the manager winless in four league games so far.
Rangers fans were opposed to Martin’s arrival, but the toxicity levels have since increased after a disastrous start to the season saw them humiliated by Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Former Celtic star Chris Sutton is perhaps one of the few people more unpopular with Rangers fans than Martin right now, and he has now admitted that the manager could be sacked within a few weeks.
Chris Sutton slams Russell Martin’s recruitment at Rangers
Rangers have recruited heavily in the summer transfer window, and will end deadline day with Youssef Chermiti and Derek Cornelius added to their squad.
However, Sutton has questioned a lot of this recruitment and claimed that only one of Martin’s new signings, Djeidi Gassama, has shown that he can be a success at Rangers so far.
“Russell Martin’s had a great deal to deal with since he’s come into the club. He’s brought a lot of players in, and the truth is so far, his recruitment has been a little bit dubious,” Sutton stated on Sky Sports News.
“Other than [Djeidi] Gassama, you’d say there haven’t been any other of his signings which have come to the fore. He’s got to make sure he gets this one [Youssef Chermiti] right.”
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 10 | 4 | 1 |
Sutton then claimed that Martin may be gone if Rangers continue to falter in tough upcoming games after their winless start.
“The draw yesterday – some Rangers fans may see that as a very small step for Russell Martin. I think they’ve got Hearts and Hibs up next at home and they’re going to be difficult games, so the pressure is truly on Russell Martin,” he added.
“He may have that backing from the ownership group at this moment in time, but if Rangers don’t get results in the next couple of games, then he could be in big trouble.”
Rangers’ recruitment has been risky
Recruitment in the transfer market has been influenced from figures above Martin, with Kevin Thelwell leading the chase for a lot of players.
Chermiti in particular is a Thelwell signing, and is their riskiest deal of them all as the striker will join Rangers for their biggest transfer outlay in 25 years.
A lot of young players have been added to the squad, and this indicates a long-term plan rather than allowing Martin to fill the squad with his own players, and this could mean that the Rangers ownership are prepared to dismiss the manager if he cannot improve quickly.
The deals for Chermiti and Cornelius could be just two of several on deadline day, with Oscar Cortes leaving on loan and Nicolas Raskin now set to stay.
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