A journalist has attacked a “ridiculous” Rangers update, calling some of their financial operations “absolutely astonishing”.
Rangers trade in big players
At Ibrox, everything has changed recently with the appointment of Philippe Clement as manager, who has already made an impression. Michael Beale was replaced. Rangers made significant additions to their roster during the summer transfer window, including Cyriel Dessers from Cremonese and Danilo from Feyenoord, among other new players who joined the massive Scottish Premiership team.
However, in recent transfer windows, two important Gers players have also left Ibrox, with Joe Aribo moving to Southampton and Calvin Bassey joining Fulham, both of which brought in a sizable sum of money for the team. Yet, it may come as a surprise to learn from Rangers’ recently disclosed accounts that the team hasn’t been able to make a significant profit despite this.
Reporter criticises Rangers
Journalist David McCarthy criticised Rangers for only turning a £252,000 profit when factoring in the sales of players like Bassey and Aribo in an interview with PLZ Soccer [via Ibrox News].
“Peter, it’s truly astounding that even after accounting for the money they received for Bassey, Aribo, and Champions League football, they still turned a loss in these numbers.
“The profit of £252K is unimportant. £4.1 million was lost by them. Furthermore, despite selling these players for almost £30 million, they still lost £4.1 million. Guys like Dessers and Lammers are also too old to be sold on, and the recruitment process has been completely absurd.”
McCarthy’s criticism is valid when you take into account that Rangers paid a club record £20.1 million to Fulham for Bassey, and that Aribo is the ninth-most expensive sale in Ibrox history.
With key players like Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos eventually allowed to leave on free transfers in the summer after their contracts ran out, it raises serious concerns about how the club is being run in terms of the calibre of recruitment and the wages being paid.
McCarthy mentions that Dessers is currently in his late 20s, which implies that Rangers won’t likely be able to sell him for a high price in the future. If he doesn’t perform exceptionally well on the pitch, he may also wind up being written off as a bad investment.
It is hoped that Clement’s arrival and the appointment of a new director of football will signal the beginning of a more prosperous period in Rangers’ recruitment efforts, helping the team financially in the process and enabling them to once again emerge as the biggest force in Scottish football in the years to come.
