Rangers should cut their losses on ‘shock’ Kevin Thelwell signing already
Rangers aimed to close the gap on Celtic by making 14 signings in the transfer window.
Kevin Thelwell has come under scrutiny for some of the players that have joined Rangers, with transfer fees and player profiles questioned.
This has come as a result of an incredibly poor start to the season, with Russell Martin also facing calls to be dismissed from his post.
Thelwell became the Rangers sporting director in April, yet fans are already demanding that he be sacked, with one summer signing being highlighted as an evident waste of funds.
Emmanuel Fernandez already a huge flop for Rangers
Fernandez joined Rangers for £3.5m from League One side Peterborough, with the defender failing to make an impact at Ibrox so far.
Speaking on The Rangers Review podcast on 25 September, journalists Derek Clark and Jonny Mcfarlane were critical of Fernandez’s transfer to Govan.
Clark said: “Fernandez was a strange signing.
“I said at the time that I was taken aback by it, with Peterborough fans surprised that Rangers had shelled out so much money for him.”
Mcfarlane added: “The Peterborough fans’ reaction was of just shock, dismay, and delight.
“If you’re going to spend £3.5m in Scotland, you would expect a player to be at least part of the squad.”
- Fernandez made 42 appearances for Peterborough last season as he broke into the first team
- This earned him a staggering £3.5m move to Ibrox
- Fernandez has made 2 appearances for Rangers this season
Whilst Fernandez did score in Rangers’ 4-2 win over Alloa Athletic in the Premier Sports Cup, he has since been left out of the squad in the last two matches against Hearts and Hibernian.
His only appearance in the Scottish Premiership was in the 1-1 draw versus St. Mirren, and he only started due to Nasser Djiga’s suspension.
Spending £3.5m on a player who won’t even feature is plain stupidity in pretty much every top division in the world, excluding perhaps the Premier League.
For context, no other Scottish team, aside from Celtic, has spent that much on any player in their history.
For Thelwell, it represents another huge failure in his short tenure at Rangers, and his future could be in serious threat if his signings fail to deliver for Rangers.
Kevin Thelwell must take accountability for some questionable signings
The deal to sign Fernandez is not the only move that should come under scrutiny.
Youssef Chermiti’s £8m move from Everton has undoubtedly raised eyebrows, with the striker failing to score a goal for the Toffees in his two years at the club.
When Thelwell was the sporting director at Everton, he was the one who brought Chermiti to Merseyside.
Chermiti is yet to start a match for Rangers, with Bojan Miovski being preferred in Martin’s one-striker formation.
Thelwell must fall on his sword if his expensive gambles don’t pay off, with Rangers fans already unimpressed at his work at the club so far.
The next few months will be crucial for Thelwell as his signings continue to settle into life at G51, yet if they do not deliver at Ibrox, he could find himself on the chopping block sooner rather than later.
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