‘If they don’t want to be here, Idon’twantthem’– Newboss hands out a stark ultimatum
Rangers current squad have been warned by manager Michael Beale that if they do not buy into his plans, he will not hesitate in bringing in new faces next month.
While accepting the Ibrox role has given the Englishman the welcome opportunity to reunite with familiar faces such as Ryan Kent, who he worked from a young age at Liverpool, it has also meant inheriting some preexisting issues.
Eleven players – a full team – are out of contract in the summer, including Kent and controversial Colombian striker, Alfredo Morelos.
However, given Rangers’ experience of finding talent from England such as Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey, the new boss is bullish about replacing anyone who does not want to stay.
And he revealed he already has a couple of targets in mind.
“There is finance available to recruit in January,” said Beale.
“In my time at Rangers under Steven, we knew we didn’t have £5-million or £10m to spend on a player.
“But we knew if the right player was identified in the right position, and the vision we had for the way we play, drove the decision.
“A lot of our best signings cost nothing like Aribo, Bassey and Glen Kamara. They took time to become elite players, but it did not cost a lot.
“The cross-border market with England has been really important to us with Bassey and Aribo.
“It’s been magnificent for the club in terms of additional revenue.
“Rangers are back to where they’ve desired to be for a number of years now in that sense.”
Beale argues a less obvious, yet still important, benefit is the impact the successes have in terms of marketing the club to other potential signings.
“When the team is playing a certain way and the fans are happy, Rangers is a nice place to come and play,” he said.
“A lot of players want to come here. A lot of agents ring you.
“Under Steven, we knew a lot of players who wanted to come here but we couldn’t always finance it.
“That’s where we are in the money chain of football. We’re aware of that.
“But there will be money available, and I will be keen to do it if I don’t get the right vibe off one or two players in the squad right now.
“If they don’t want to be here, I don’t want them. And I don’t think the club do, either.
“Have I got targets already? One or two but more positional.”
Whoever comes in is likely to be assessed not only for his ability to compete in the domestic game, but also in the European arena.
Beale, who says he still feels the pain of failing to make the Champions League off the back of Rangers title win, makes no apologies for placing participation in continental competition at the forefront of his plans.
“The 50-plus games we played in Europe before we left, they made the team grow in belief,” he said.
“Nights like beating Porto and Feyenoord, away at Villarreal – even small defeats at Spartak Moscow – they made the players believe in themselves and grow.
“You take your eyes off your biggest rivals domestically and concentrate on an even better level of football, that only helps you come back and play at a higher level.
“It was great to have two teams in the Champions League. It was hugely important for Scottish football in terms of the exposure and finance.
“The women’s league in England gives out more money for winning the league than the Scottish Premiership.
“So the only way for the game to grow is European football.”