After a few weeks in the hot seat and assessing what he inherited from Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale is about to make his first moves in the transfer market as Rangers manager.
The Ibrox boss told fans last week that two signings were close to being completed, and after the 2-0 win over Dundee United at Tannadice, nameched Tom Davies of Everton and out-of-favour Todd Cantwell of Norwich City. No prizes for guessing that the engine room is his first port of call when it comes to new faces, especially after the injury to Steven Davis.
Both have good pedigree at a high level down south, but perhaps need a change of scene to try and kick start their careers after losing their way a little with their current clubs. That tends to be the way of it in January, which is notoriously more difficult than the summer window when it comes to landing the targets you really want.
But it’s proved a fruitful month for Rangers over the years. Some of their best additions have come during the winter, so Record Sport has taken a look at the successes from previous windows.
Davie Weir
Signed in January 2007 by Walter Smith, no-one could have foreseen just how long the experienced defender would go on playing, becoming a stalwart of the Ibrox club. Far from a stop gap, he was a defensive leader for the next five years, playing over 200 games.
Over the course of those, he picked up seven winners medals and led the Light Blues to the 2008 UEFA Cup final in Manchester. Weir was firmly established as a Gers legend by the time he hung up his boots at the ripe old age of 41.
Kris Boyd
He may not have been the complete striker, but he guaranteed goals. That wasn't always enough to get him into the starting lineup however, with Smith often preferring a lone striker, which wasn’t Boyd’s game.
However, create chances and he’d stick them away. His Rangers record speaks for itself; 101 goals in 143 league matches and 128 in 192 overall for the club. He became the league’s record goalscorer with 222, thanks to five in one match in a 7-1 rout of Dundee United.
A second spell at the club in 2014 did not go nearly as well, and was brought to an end early in order for Boyd to rejoin Kilmarnock for a third time. However, it’s unlikely strikers in this day and age will be around long enough to match or surpass his numbers.
Barry Ferguson
18 months after leaving his boyhood club for Blackburn Rovers in 2003, the captain made an emotional homecoming in 2005. A sticky start under Paul Le Guen saw the pair clash, but he was back in from the cold when Walter Smith replaced the Frenchman.
Ferguson became the club’s record European appearance holder and was a huge success over both spells, lifting trophy after trophy under a variety of managers before leaving again for Birmingham City.
Steven Davis
Arrived on loan from Fulham in January 2008. He was a key member of the squad that reached the UEFA Cup final and his move was made permanent as a result.
Captained the club when Davie Weir wasn’t available, but returned to England with Southampton in 2012. However, after seven years at St Mary’s, he was back at Ibrox, again on loan and again in January. He penned a one-year deal that summer, and is still with the club, although whether another extension will be forthcoming after a knee injury ruled him out for the season remains to be seen.
Kevin Thomson
Another Smith January addition, Thomson signed from Hibs in January 2007 and became a fans’ favourite. HIs style changed after swapping Easter Road for Ibrox, becoming more of a midfield battler, but still with the ability to pick a pass.
Injuries robbed him of a lot of playing time however, and he eventually moved on to Middlesbrough. But his capture is still regarded as £2million well spent by the Govan club.
Jermain Defoe
The experienced former England international was tempted north by his old England mate Steven Gerrard in January 2019 on an 18-month loan. Defoe’s influence off the pitch was as important as what he did on it, setting an example to the rest in how to live, train and look after yourself.
He did enough to persuade the club to make the loan permanent in the summer of 2020 and netted his 200th career goal against Livingston that October. Penned a new player-coach deal in 2021, but departed in January 2022 after the appointment of Giovanni van Bronckhorst and returned to Sunderland before retiring.
Tugay
Transfer windows weren’t a thing when the cultured Turk arrived in Glasgow, but seeing as it was in January 1999, he’s in. A classy operator in the middle of the park, he impressed under Alex McLeish.
Probably better remembered for his time south of the border with Blackburn, initially under Graeme Souness, Tugay was still a quality addition at a time when Rangers were making a number of them.
Alec Cleland
A bit of a cheat again, but Cleland was in fact a January signing from Dundee United in 1995. Signed with fellow Tannadice fullback Gary Bollan, Clelland spent three years at Ibrox during Smith’s first spell in charge.
He was a key member of the squad that captured nine-in-a-row. And Smith was his boss once again when he took him south to Everton after leaving Rangers in 1998.
Neil Alexander
Was initially signed as a back up to Allan McGregor in January 2008, but Alexander would go on to play a major part in Rangers UEFA Cup run that year. With McGregor injured, he started the semi-final win over Fiorentina which saw the Gers progress to the final on penalties.
Alexander was in for the final as well, but couldn't prevent a 2-0 defeat against Zenit St Petersburg. He left Ibrox in 2013 to join Crystal Palace.
Thomas Buffel
The Belgian was a £2.3 capture from Feyenoord in January 2003. It was a good first few months, helping the club clinch the double that season, and a 51st title in the process.
In his second season, he helped Rangers reach the last 16 of the Champions League, but was eventually told he was free to leave by Walter Smith. Frozen out in his final season, he returned to his homeland with Cercle Brugge in 2008.
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