Celtic spending spree does not alarm Van Bronckhorst

GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST last night insisted he is not daunted by Celtic’s January transfer window spending spree.

But the ibrox boss admitted he was thrilled to land £12million for his ‘back-up’ right-back nathan Patterson.

Van Bronckhorst has made an impressive start to life at ibrox since taking over from steven Gerrard and his team went into the winter break six points ahead of their Old Firm rivals.

This month, the Dutchman has brought in American international James sands on a long-term loan from new York City, while selling scotland defender Patterson to everton for a club-record fee.

But Celtic have been busy backing manager Ange Postecoglou by landing Japanese trio Daizen

Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Reo Hatate. And as reported by Sportsmail yesterday, the Parkhead club are also closing in on £2.6m Australian playmaker Riley McGree from MLS side Charlotte FC, shortly after snapping up promising striker Johnny Kenny from Sligo Rovers. Van Bronckhorst has been tracking Hearts defender John Souttar and Vitesse Arnhem captain Danilho Doekhi and admits he is eager to add to his squad if possible. But he insists he pays no heed to the transfer activity outwith Ibrox. He said: ‘I don’t care what other clubs do. ‘Nathan was a back-up player. This was a win-win situation and we don’t get any weaker. ‘He was sold for a record amount and that fits the long-term vision of the club. ‘The club now gets a financial injection and the player goes to the (English) Premier League. ‘I’m quite happy with the squad we have now and I think James Sands will be a great addition. Where there are possibilities to add some players, we will.’ Van Bronckhorst has eight wins and a draw in his nine matches in charge since arriving at Rangers in November. He explained the tactical tweaks he has made to predecessor Gerrard’s side and the high standards he demands from his players. He told Dutch newspaper

De Telegraaf: ‘We are the champions of Scotland. This is Rangers, only first place counts for this club. We have to have that appearance of flair and spirit in every game and I expect that. No, I demand that from my players. ‘I’m the manager, I had to show the players what I want from day one. That’s very important.

For me, it was nice to see that they have opened up to something new. ‘Of course, it helps that you win matches with the way I play. When that is successful, then confidence in the team grows. ‘I have opted for a slightly different formation in possession of the ball and when we defend we are also slightly different. The boys have handled it really well and everything has come off.’