FULL TEAM AHEAD NOW
summer of speculation. Gers fans feared they might have to wave goodbye to top performers like Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent or Glen Kamara after club chiefs made it clear they’re looking to establish a new business model based on player sales.
But to Gerrard’s delight, his phone remained silent as the window closed.
He said: “You always want to keep your best players, the players that are going to give you the best chance of being successful moving forward.
“That is a little bit being selfish but I also understand the other side of it and how the business works. I was well prepared for my phone going at any given moment if the right bid had landed for a player and the board wanted to accept that.
“There wouldn’t have been any resistance as long as they were happy on their side. This club has had some real healthy bids in the last two or three windows for our players.
“To be fair to the board, they have stayed strong in those situations because they have felt they have fallen short of our valuations of those players, ie Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos.
“We had some bids for Nathan Patterson that were way off his valuation in this recent window.
“The reality is the valuations from me, Ross Wilson and the board collectively, no one has hit those numbers. But from a selfish point of view sitting here, I am obviously happy in that situation.”
Gerrard survived the transfer window without losing any of his top stars but he was not so lucky during last week’s international break. Ianis Hagi contracted Covid while away with Romania and the manager is preparing to be without the talented playmaker for both today’s trip to St Johnstone and next week’s Europa League opener with Lyon at Ibrox.
It was feared at one point Hagi could be hit with a 20-day stint in quarantine under strict North Macedonian selfisolation rules following his positive test in Skopje.
But Gerrard is working on the belief that he will be back in just 10 days.
Scotland starlet Patterson, meanwhile, is also a major doubt for this afternoon’s Perth clash after he was forced to sit it out on Tuesday as Steve Clarke’s side claimed a vital World Cup qualifying victory in Vienna.
Asked when Hagi would return, Gerrard said: “Not sure. We’re trying to work off the normal situation, which is 10 days. I’ve not spoken to Ianis today. I spoke to him when I first heard the news.
“But he’s obviously ruled out at the weekend against St Johnstone – and I think he’s ruled out against Lyon, if you go on that 10-day period from the test.
“Nathan’s had a kick this week and we’ll have to wait and see if he’s ready for tomorrow.”