Barry Ferguson sorts out free Rangers double transfer that never happened
Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland and Hibernian midfielder Josh Mulligan may have been Rangers players under Barry Ferguson.
The Gers’ former interim manager had apparently already worked on potential deals to sign the Scottish duo on free transfers in the summer.
Ferguson wasn’t given the permanent managerial role at Ibrox, with Russell Martin coming in but lasting only 123 days in the Govan side’s dugout.
Danny Rohl is now hoping for backing from Andrew Cavenagh in January as he looks to bring stability to the Glaswegian outfit, but things could’ve seemingly been much different in G51 had Ferguson stayed.
Lawrence Shankland and Josh Mulligan signings at Rangers all done
Ferguson had sorted out Shankland and Mulligan’s signings at the Gers, Paul Slane says.
The former Clyde midfielder claims that the Light Blues’ former interim manager had already worked out a deal to bring the 30-year-old centre-forward and the versatile 23-year-old midfielder to Ibrox.
Things would undoubtedly have been much different if the Glaswegian outfit had a reliable goalscorer at their disposal.
Speaking on Open Goal on 8 January, Slane said, “Shankland up front and Mulligan in the middle. Free transfers. It was all done. Barry had sorted the transfers out.”
Shankland was being linked with a move to Ibrox in the summer after his contract at Hearts expired, but Derek McInnes evidently convinced him to stay, and the Jam Tarts are now top of the table.
Mulligan is thriving at Hibs after leaving Dundee, and the Gers will surely be ruing not seeing through the progress Ferguson had seemingly made.
Kevin Thelwell sets Andrew Cavenagh back at Ibrox after what’s happened
Kevin Thelwell was sacked at Ibrox after growing calls from the fanbase to relieve him of his duties.
The sporting director was followed by Patrick Stewart out the door after Rangers had an approximate net spend of £20million in the summer and still looked worse off than last season.
Of Thelwell’s 12 signings at the Light Blues, only a couple have arguably lived up to expectation, leaving Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises with a mess to fix that could potentially take years.
Nothing highlights the former Everton chief’s incompetence more than the decision to spend £8m on Youssef Chermiti, who clearly isn’t good enough for the Glaswegian outfit despite his recent upturn in form.
Stay up to date this winter with our Rangers transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at Ibrox, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.