Murty hopes to follow the Southampton route when it comes to buying and selling

GRAEME MURTY marvelled at the recruitment strategies of Southampton’s long-term thinkers in his first coaching job.

He worked at the academy, which has produced the most enviable conveyer belt of multi-million pound graduates in the British game over the last decade.

And their renowned dealings in the transfer market have just been crowned by the sale of Virgil Van Dijk for a £75million world-record fee for a defender.

However, the ‘win-now’ requirements of Rangers dictate that Murty cannot contemplate signings who won’t give his team an instant shot in the arm after his first transfer window as Ibrox boss.

He has recruited Sean Goss from Queens Park Rangers on loan, prompted by director of football Mark Allen, and franked the £1.7m deal for Brighton’s Jamie Murphy.

Goss, 22, is in until the end of this season, while Murphy represents a safe bet — a 28-yearold with multiple experience of the Scottish top flight.

Business this month is being conducted largely with the aim of clinching second place in the league and closing the gap on Celtic.

Projects for the first team must be parked for now in Murty’s mind — or at least left for Allen to work on — while the more immediate aim of tidying up Pedro Caixinha’s mess is arranged.

‘When you can identify big talent, buy it cheaply, develop it, sell it high and put a sell-on clause in, then that makes a good business model to me,’ said Murty.

‘We must make sure that, if it’s possible to do that, then we do it. But that puts a lot of stress on our recruitment department.

‘Long term, it’s a strategic thing. But, in January, we need to have people who come in and impact our season immediately.

‘We’ve been looking at players who fit the parameters rather than me saying: “I want this guy, I know him from the past”.

‘It is more me saying: “What are options one, two, three, four”? Then we narrow it down from there. That’s the way I saw it done at Southampton.

‘I enjoyed watching those guys do their recruitment, not just on the football side, but also on the management side. Lessons can be learned from that. Identifying positions, characteristics and then narrowing it down from there is beneficial for everyone.’

Murty has wasted little time making use of the first week of the transfer window and he would be far happier if another 51 were available for clubs to trade.

He is no fan of the guidelines that cram the transfer opportunities into the close season and mid-campaign in January.

‘I’m not sure the January window is the best one for major surgery on any squad,’ said Murty.

‘You must safeguard the future of the club and, in January, you’re looking at an inflated market.

‘I don’t see why the window can’t be open all year. The money goes up in the final days, the SKY ticker showing that £750million or whatever has been spent.

‘That heightens fans’ paranoia if nothing is being done or heightens expectations about fees.’

Meanwhile, Murty revealed how family contentment, following the upheaval of a major relocation to Glasgow has laid the solid foundations for him to flourish in his Rangers roles.

Wife Karen and 10-year-old daughter Freya have now been based permanently in Scotland for just over a year.

Five months earlier, Murty had joined Rangers as development squad boss after two years in the academy at Norwich City and setting out on a coaching career with Southampton’s youth set-up.

Professional life has changed beyond recognition for him since his deployment in the first-team hotseat. His ability to perform in the most pressurised of managerial posts is in no small part down to his family settling so well here.

‘The major concern was whether our little girl would be fine with it,’ said Murty on the move to Glasgow. ‘My wife and daughter keep me grounded.

‘If I’m going to be moving around I need to know I’m going to a place where she can settle. The school, the place that we live two minutes from the training ground, the club, have all been remarkably welcoming, as has Glasgow.

‘Freya is flourishing and has loved it. As a family and as a professional, I haven’t regretted it for a minute. This is our home now.’