‘Conveyor belt’ of talent can offset Ibrox exits
MICHAEL BEALE is confident Rangers can maintain their “conveyor belt” of talent if Giovanni van Bronckhorst loses some of his key men this summer.
Sevilla are leading the race to sign striker Alfredo Morelos, while the likes of Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo have attracted interest from a host of Premier League clubs.
Bassey is likely to command the highest fee of the trio after Rangers put a £25m price tag on his head following his man-of-thematch showing in the Europa League final.
Beale was part of Steven Gerrard’s staff when Bassey and Aribo, and key men such as Ryan Kent and Glen Kamara, were brought to Ibrox to help secure title 55 and re-establish the club on the continent.
And the new Queens Park Rangers boss knows some tough decisions will need to be made this summer as a players consider their futures and the Ibrox board aim to kick-start their trading model.
Beale said: “I think the key thing for Ross Wilson and the staff there is to have the conveyor belt in place.
“I think the cross-border thing really helped in terms of taking a player like that for just over £200,000. The same with Joe Aribo.
“Having the conveyor belt in place is really important. That conveyor belt can come through your own academy, like a Nathan Patterson, or it can come from outside.
“But it’s important when players come and they reach a selling point.
“If the money being bandied about for Calvin is actually a reality then what a return on your investment that is. If those players then have people coming after them, it means the team must have done well.”