Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh expects three to five more signings before the transfer window closes, whilst admitting results this season are not where he would like them to be. The Ibrox club have already added nine new faces this summer but have only one point after two Scottish Premiership games under new manager Derek McInnes.
Rangers also trail Polish outfit Jagiellonia Bialystok 2-1 after the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie last week. Speaking at an open forum in Glasgow, Cavenagh told shareholders that business so far has been ‘clunky’ but the club are working hard to bring success.
Cavenagh outlines transfer plans and ambitions
Cavenagh said he does not like putting a number on incoming transfers but hopes three to five more players will arrive, with a number possibly leaving. Rangers host Jagiellonia in the second leg on Thursday, with either Northern Irish champions Larne or Iberia Tbilisi of Georgia awaiting the winners in the play-offs.
Cavenagh acknowledged it is frustrating that important games must be played before the window closes, but said that is simply how it works. He said that when he and his colleagues arrived around a year ago, their ambition was sustained winning and winning sustainably.
He added that he understands the club are not there yet, but that he is more optimistic now than he was a year ago. Cavenagh said Rangers could look at how the first three games have gone and sulk, but they are not going to do that.
He also said that when they came in, they realised finishing second, and sometimes worse, was seeping into every corner of the club, and that this had to change, though it takes time.
McInnes appointment and VAR concerns
Cavenagh was joined in the room by chief executive Jim Gillespie and shareholder Paraag Marathe. Gillespie was asked about the appointment of McInnes, who fell just short of winning the title with Heart of Midlothian last season.
Gillespie explained the club could have gone for a Pep Guardiola style manager or a Jurgen Klopp style manager, and said they wanted a Klopp-style manager who plays on the front foot. He said McInnes had been high on their list for a long time and fits the style and culture of the club.
Gillespie also confirmed Rangers are seeking clarification from the SFA regarding the VAR call that led to a Hibernian penalty in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat. He said his understanding was that it has to be a clear and obvious error for the referee to be called over, and that he did not see the incident as either clear or obvious.
He said the club need a strategy for developing referees and VAR, and that his question for the SFA would be what their strategy for improvement is, adding that improvement has to be achieved.
