Derek McInnes has told Rangers recruitment chief Dan Purdy to target quality attacking wide players as the Ibrox boss looks to complete his summer rebuild ahead of the Scottish Premiership season
Ben Godfrey leads the charge
Derek McInnes was the first to admit it.
Rangers may have been active in the transfer window this summer, securing six new signings, but as the new Ibrox boss acknowledges himself, there’s “still work to do”. And quite a lot of it.
With just 18 days until the Premiership opener at Tannadice, the clock is ticking to find the missing pieces that will put the Light Blues in contention for silverware this campaign.
McInnes has already acknowledged he may need to take his squad to Tayside for that opening fixture against Jim Goodwin’s Dundee United with a couple of positions yet to be filled.
However, he remains confident he’ll have the squad required to mount a challenge against Celtic and his former Hearts side before the window closes on September 3, reports the Daily Record.
By all accounts, though, Del has worked through the priority checklist he had drawn up for the initial phase of his Rangers rebuild.
As Hearts manager last season, it was McInnes’ responsibility to identify the weaknesses in the Ibrox outfit and find ways to capitalise on them.
It would have been abundantly clear to the then Tynecastle chief that Rangers’ vulnerability lay firmly in their soft underbelly.
Little wonder then that the 55-year-old has made it his primary objective as Gers manager to shore up the Light Blues’ fragile backbone.
The arrivals of goalkeeper Ivor Pandur, defender Ben Godfrey, tenacious midfielders Dan Neil and Cammy Devlin, and versatile player Ross McCrorie – alongside the capture of McInnes’ former Gorgie skipper Lawrence Shankland prior to his own appointment – should guarantee this squad no longer displays the vulnerability that undermined last season’s championship challenge.
He remains in pursuit of a left-sided centre-back, which ought to strengthen matters further.
However, having secured the battlers, McInnes will acknowledge that phase two of his transfer strategy must focus on acquiring the creative talents capable of delivering the genuine quality needed to secure trophies.
Record Sport has learned that recruitment director Dan Purdy has been told McInnes desires significantly superior options in the wide forward positions than currently available, and having only invested a combined transfer fee of approximately £4million to bring in Pandur and McCrorie, he intends to allocate the majority of his remaining funds addressing this concern.
McInnes is also eager to bring in another game-changer in the engine room, with targets including £8.5million-valued Tromso midfielder Jens Hjerto-Dahl, Partizan Belgrade prospect Vanja Dragojevic, and his former Aberdeen lieutenant Lewis Ferguson all featuring prominently on his shortlist.
However, these potential deals may depend on Nico Raskin’s situation.
The Belgian midfielder has put himself squarely in the spotlight following impressive performances for the Red Devils during their journey to the World Cup quarter-finals.
With two years remaining on his Ibrox contract, the timing seems ideal to maximise his rising market value.
However, until Rangers secure funds from any potential sale, it seems chairman Andrew Cavenagh will be hesitant to invest heavily in another central midfielder, particularly given the club’s oversized squad already boasts 10 players who can operate in that position.
That’s why McInnes told journalists who met him at the club’s warm-weather training base in southern Spain over the weekend that his immediate priority is reducing the 28-strong squad he’s currently managing.
While the rest of the squad departed for Alicante, John Souttar and Danilo were permitted to stay in Glasgow as they edge closer to leaving Ibrox.
Jose Cifuentes, Clinton Nsiala and Ross McCausland have been told they have no prospects at the club, while Lyall Cameron must produce something exceptional in the coming weeks to salvage his Rangers career.
Mohamed Diomande, Connor Barron, Nedim Bajrami, Oliver Antman and Bojan Miovski would be wise to explore opportunities elsewhere as McInnes accelerates his squad restructuring.
As for Youssef Chermiti, Rangers have no intention of hastily offloading a player they consider could prove invaluable next season partnering Shankland in attack. Lyon did express interest earlier this summer but were promptly rebuffed after suggesting the former Everton forward was valued at no more than £20million.
By rejecting the French club’s approach, new chief executive Jim Gillespie has sent a clear message that Rangers will no longer be bullied during transfer negotiations as they have been in the past.
His resolve to drive a tough deal is exactly why a comeback for Vaclav Cerny appears improbable, despite reports from Turkish outlets claiming Rangers have had an offer for the Czech winger turned down.
Cerny thoroughly enjoyed his time in Glasgow during his 12-month loan spell under Philippe Clement and subsequently Barry Ferguson.
However, having spent the past year at Turkish heavyweights Besiktas earning a weekly salary of more than £40,000, it’s unlikely Gers will be prepared to match those figures to bring him back permanently.
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