Warburton won’t commit on striker link
MARK WARBURTON was last night remaining coy about his team’s pursuit of Preston striker Joe Garner.
The Light Blues want the £1million-rated forward to move north and provide the extra firepower they believe they need to prevent Celtic making it six-in-a-row,
Nine players have already been added over the summer, including big-name stars Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar.
The 28-year-old Garner still has a year to run on his deal at Deepdale, but Rangers are understood to be confident that, like Barton, he will be keen to swap the English Premier League for the Scottish Premiership.
“Right now we’re looking at various options,” said the Rangers manager.
“He is one of a number of names mentioned. He’s one of about four or five strikers, and four or five defenders we’re linked to.
“All we do is go about our business. When the contract is signed and the ink’s still wet, we might let you know.”
“Nothing’s changed. I read the story this morning, and I don’t know if it’s come from an agent somewhere. It’s certainly got nothing to do with us.”
The Rangers manager was meanwhile dismissive of reports linking James Tavernier with a £2.5 million move to Turkish outfit Trabzonspor.
“There’s been absolutely zero contact from anyone, so I’m bemused by that story,” he said.
“But apparently we were bringing Van Persie over from there, so . . . ”
Meanwhile Warburton has called for an overhaul of youth football across the country.
He said: “We have to raise the quality of challenge. The Under-20s system doesn’t serve any purpose.
“It’s the same down south. You hear all the coaches and academy directors saying the same thing.
“Some will say it’s fine, but the harsh reality is that it doesn’t prepare players for the first team.
“We have to prepare the players for the best challenge because we want them to come and play in our first team.”