Russell Martin blessing in disguise as Rangers tipped for another transfer splurge
Russell Martin is overseeing a crisis at Rangers, but there could be one silver lining for fans as anger continues to grow.
Rangers could end up bottom of the league this weekend as Martin’s side continue to defy expectations of the lows they can reach, and they were also beaten by Genk in Europe.
Fans have protested against Martin’s management, with the manager currently possessing the worst-ever win rate of any Rangers manager in history.
Many have called for Martin to be sacked soon, with results and performances both disastrous, but there could be one positive to these last few months.
This article contains exclusive opinion from football finance lecturer and author Dr Dan Plumley.
Rangers set to spend in January transfer window
Rangers spent heavily in the summer with new investment from Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, but this has not paid off at all so far.
Kevin Thelwell has been questioned over several signings, including Youssef Chermiti, who arrived for a record fee from his old club Everton, despite failing to score for them.
- Derek Cornelius, Jayden Meghoma, Thelo Aasgaard, Djeidi Gassama, Mikey Moore and Bojan Miovski have arrived as starters.
- Oliver Antman, Joe Rothwell, Chermiti, Nasser Djiga and Max Aarons appear set for backup roles.
- Emmanuel Fernandez has serious question marks after hardly featuring.
With Rangers faltering, it now appears that the board could invest into further signings in the January transfer window, as finance expert Dr Dan Plumley has exclusively told Ibrox News.
“It wouldn’t surprise me, given the context of where they’re at right now, and the start to the season has not been what they wanted,” Plumley replied when asked if Rangers could spend in January.
“That might trigger movement in January, whereas if they were doing OK, they might not.
“Obviously they haven’t got an unlimited pot of money to spend – we talked about the investment before the summer and pre-season, which would have boosted it, and some of that money would have been used to fund the activity in the transfer market so far.
“They have got capacity to spend more, but there is a limit to that, and the club’s appetite for risk management and how much you want to spend, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them spend a little bit in January because of what’s happening right now, and the managerial situation would have an impact on that as well.”
Rangers could give new manager better signings
As things stand, it seems highly unlikely that Martin will still be in charge of Rangers in January, with the board simply delaying the inevitable by backing him until now.
Sacking him would mean a new manager is in place when the January transfer window arrives, and if funds are released for him, the Rangers squad could get a lot stronger.
Another left-back is needed urgently, with Meghoma the only natural option in the position, and it remains to be seen what other areas will be prioritised to help fix the leaky defence or dull attack.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Rangers news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @ibroxnews247