Waghorn relief as Warburton chases target
MARK WARBURTON is hopeful of having another Rangers signing in place ahead of tomorrow’s league trip to Dundee.
The Ibrox boss spent yesterday making calls on a prospective deal and is optimistic a 10th summer signing could be secured by the start of next week at the latest.
Warburton remains tight-lipped on the identity of his mystery man but it won’t be Dominic Ball, the Spurs man on loan at Ibrox last season, after he agreed a threeyear deal at Rotherham yesterday.
Asked if he could have another new face before the trip to Tayside, however, he said: ‘Possibly. I’m waiting for a phonecall. Hopefully so. If not, then early next week.’
The Rangers manager has dismissed reports in Turkey of a £2.5million move by Trabzonspor for defender James Tavernier and added: ‘We’ve heard nothing. We’ve had no contact.
‘I saw the story about a week ago and it was news to me. The club has had no contact, nor has the player, nor has the agent.’
Warburton is pragmatic on the fact that no manager of a Scottish club can rule out selling players. The Ibrox boss bemoans a market where Rangers can be outbid by the likes of Oxford United or Peterborough, but remains grateful for small mercies.
Contract talks with last season’s top scorer Martyn Waghorn drag on but the hamstring ailment Rangers believed might rule the striker out for months is less serious than first feared following the results of a scan.
Waghorn could even be fit for the first Old Firm derby of the season with Celtic on September 10, a relieved Warburton admitting: ‘It looks like it’s a grade one (tear), so he’ll be out for two or three weeks at the most, hopefully.
‘So, touch wood, that’s good news because his reaction after the injury was quite severe. But the scan is good news. He’s delighted. It calmed down a lot the following day, it was a sharp pain first night but a lot calmer the following day.
‘He got a knee in the back earlier on, so it looks like it might have been a spasm that caused the bulk of the pain. If it had involved a tendon then it could have been months, but it’s good news from the scan.
‘It’s no more than a grade one, so that will be two weeks at best, three weeks at worst.’
Waghorn has become a vital player for Rangers. Important enough to merit talks on a new contract. Others, including Tavernier and Rob Kiernan, have committed to improved terms.
Mindful of the salaries meted out to Joey Barton and Jordan Rossiter, Waghorn is proving harder to snare.
‘A lot of players now have extended their contracts, so we’re in a good place now in that respect and they are staggered as well,’ Warburton said. ‘You never want them all at the same place, that’s very dangerous. Martyn’s got two years left to run.
‘Look again at the sums down south, at some stage these clubs will find value and when they do there is not a great deal we can do other than make sure we get the right price for the players, whoever that may be.’
Waghorn is not at that stage yet. The player shows no sign of agitating for a move. He wants to stay with Rangers and, while it would be naive to think clubs in England have not been made aware of the contract situation, Warburton is cautiously optimistic the transfer window will close on August 31 without the loss of key performers.
‘I’m delighted — and long may it continue,’ he said. ‘I never want to lose any of our good players, any of our players, full stop.
‘But it’s a harsh reality that if a player leaves a club, he leaves hopefully on your terms and not on someone else’s.
‘There is more money away from us, we know that. And if a player does well, attracts interest and gets a good fee for the club, then everyone is happy. But we don’t want to lose any of our players. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened to any of the clubs in Scotland. You are starting to see clubs come in, Birmingham City and Oxford, and smaller clubs and that will be the start of many more.’
This weekend’s opponents Dundee have already lost their top scorer Kane Hemmings to Oxford in England’s League One. Greg Stewart rejected terms with Birmingham earlier this week after both clubs had agreed a fee, but the English Championship side are poised to come back with improved terms — although the 26-year-old is set to play at Dens tomorrow.
Rangers attacker Michael O’Halloran knows exactly how hard it is to perform through a transfer saga after his own switch from St Johnstone last season became a protracted business.
Sympathising with Dens danger man Stewart, O’Halloran said: ‘It’s hard. I think there’s a lot of things going through your head... is it happening, is it not happening, but in football you’ve got to concentrate when the game comes around, you’ve got to be fully focused and I’m sure that he will be.
‘It’s kind of a release when you’re out there playing again.
‘I wanted to play. I felt it was good to get out there, pull a strip on and get out and play because that’s all I really want to do.’
Rangers will travel to Dens hoping to emulate their best display of last season, a thumping 4-0 win over the Dark Blues in the Scottish Cup quarter-final.
‘That was a great performance by us and Dundee will be determined on Saturday to prove something,’ added O’Halloran. ‘They’ll be determined not to get a similar result, so I’m sure it will be a competitive game.’
Rangers will add Club Cooper and a revamped Ibrox Suite to their hospitality areas this season. For more details, call 0871 702 1972.
“Martyn is out for three weeks at very most”