Game of patience
Allen will take time to get right players in
HAVING spearheaded the move to bring Steven Gerrard to Rangers, it is now Mark Allen’s mission to transform the squad into one capable of fulfilling the new manager’s ambitions.
The Ibrox director of football will be working overtime this summer. Scott Arfield’s arrival on a four-year contract was followed yesterday by Allan McGregor’s confirmed return as Rangers address the weaknesses exposed by their third-placed Premiership finish.
Allen has maintained an open line of communication with Gerrard — who doesn’t formally take charge until June 1 — as they filter through potential targets and agree a strategy.
Completing the first stage of what Rangers fans hope will be a revolution is not, however, something Allen is willing to tackle in a blind rush. Doing it right is more important than doing it quickly.
Allen made no reference to past mistakes, but Rangers need only look to last summer to see the perils of acting in haste.
The Welshman didn’t take over as a director of football until August 1, by which point Pedro Caixinha had already conducted much of a largely disastrous window of additions.
Topping the list of expensive errors was the £2.3million Caixinha spent on Carlos Pena, a deal that seems all the more extraordinary with the passing of time.
Gerrard will make his competitive debut in the technical area on July 12, when the Ibrox outfit enter the first qualifying round of the Europa League. Others will have joined Arfield by that date, but seven weeks of the transfer window still lie beyond it.
‘My experience has taught me that it’s a long summer and you won’t always get your business done straight away, even though you might like to,’ said Allen.
‘We will endeavour to do as much as we can as soon as we can, but I won’t be pushed into a rush just to get players.
‘They have to be the right players, the right targets with the right quality and the right characteristics.
‘Whether that takes two days, five days or the whole window, we will make sure any additions we bring in add to that level.’
Arfield’s energy and aggression embody some of the core values being sought. Statistics show the 29-year-old was highly effective at pressing opponents during his time with Burnley in the English Premier League.
‘You look at the pedigree and where he has played,’ enthused Allen. ‘You look at the characteristics he stands for and the club he’s come from. Hard work comes before anything and that is the trait we need.
‘Scott comes with ability, experience and great character. When you get an opportunity to be at the table and sign players like him, you take it.
‘You look for a mixture of attributes. No game is won without hard work first. You have to have that ingredient as a footballer.
‘We also need people that can handle the pressure, who understand what it means to play in the shirt and cope with playing in it.’
Brighton centre-back Connor Goldson is believed to be one option under consideration to strengthen a back-line that could only manage the seventh-best concessions record in the top tier.
Goldson would join Arfield in being recruited from the English top flight, but Allen insists the net will be cast wider.
‘I don’t think you should rule out anyone. There are gems everywhere,’ he added.
‘Everyone has to start somewhere. You may see up-and-coming players in League One.
‘It is unlikely you will see an older player coming from the lower leagues to us. But we have to find a certain pedigree of player to play for Rangers.’
Gerrard was on promotional duty with Liverpool in the Middle East while his new club were rounding off their season with an extraordinary 5-5 draw at Easter Road. Phone calls across time zones have continued the planning.
‘We’ve found the time,’ said Allen. ‘We both said when he was unveiled that work starts straight away.
‘I appraised him during the interviewing process and we started to talk about some of the targets then. He is fully aware of all the targets and has rubberstamped the direction we are going. We’re on exactly the same page, 100 per cent.’
Incomings will be accompanied by exits. A number of Caixinha’s signings, and others on the fringes of the squad, will be moved on if possible.
Asked if he had told players they were surplus to requirements, Allen replied: ‘Some of them, not all.
‘That’s a private matter and it’s for the players to go away and digest — and their representatives to look at alternatives they may or may not have.
‘Then, there will be an appropriate time to talk about who may be leaving and staying — and I don’t think that is now.’
The fate of those who spent the latter part of last season on loan is another issue. Allen remains confident that Jamie Murphy will become a Rangers player, with the club holding a £1m-plus option on a deal with Brighton, but said the move was ‘not quite there yet’.
Sean Goss and Russell Martin are set to return to QPR and Norwich respectively, while talks have taken place with Nottingham Forest over Jason Cummings.
‘That’s ongoing dialogue, but it’s early days,’ insisted Allen. ‘The season has just finished, so we will give it a bit of time to settle and then we’ll pick that up.
‘I need to sit down with Steven and go through every single thing in detail. We’re doing everything on the telephone at the moment because he’s not here.’