Strength in numbers
Rangers transfer spree to continue as Gerrard targets strong squad
GLASGOW: Rangers are aiming to recruit more players in an effort to create a strong and well-balanced squad that can excel on both domestic and European fronts, manager Steven Gerrard has said.
The Scottish club have signed nine new players, including defender Connor Goldson and winger Jamie Murphy from Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion, fullback Jon Flanagan from Liverpool and midfielder Scott Arfield from Burnley.
Gerrard’s team have also been bolstered by the arrival of Roma forward Umar Sadiq and midfielders Ovie Ejaira and Lassana Coulibaly on season-long loan deals.
“There’s no number on it,” Gerrard told reporters. ”We’ll be there when we’re there.
“When I see that the team and the squad are strong enough to compete against the best sides domestically and also against teams we are going to come up against in the Europa League, that’s when we will be ready.
“Good players are on the same wavelength and good players gel pretty quick and that’s what we’ve tried to into the transfer market for – for good players, for talents. We’re trying to get the right balance and the right blend.”
Gerrard, a former Liverpool midfielder, made his managerial debut against English fourth-tier club Bury in a friendly last week.
The 38-year-old will lead Rangers in his first competitive match in charge when the Scottish side host Macedonia’s FK Shkupi in the first leg of their Europa League preliminary qualifying round tie. — Reuters