Rangers are back among the big guns but Arthur Numan says qualifying for the Champions League will be just as crucial for the Ibrox side in their financial arms race with Celtic.
The Ibrox side have secured a £40million windfall after Numan’s old pal Giovanni van Bronckhorst guided his team past PSV to book the club’s group-stage return. After 12 long years in the wilderness, Rangers have rejoined the elite with a set of glamour ties to look forward to.
A return to the Netherlands awaits a week on Wednesday against champions Ajax before Napoli visit Glasgow a week later. Then there’s the Battle of Britain double-header with Liverpool as Rangers go head-to-head with a team awash with Premier League millions. But Numan reckons the eight-figure UEFA bonanza heading into the Ibrox coffers after qualifying could have greater repercussions on the domestic front as they look to keep pace with Celtic.
He said: “Giovanni made a huge statement with that result. I’ll say it again, he is a top coach and knows the game inside out. He took us to the Europa League final and has now followed it up with getting into the best club tournament in European football.
“It’s very prestigious for Rangers to be back in (the same competition) beside Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, PSG and AC Milan. It’s mouthwatering and exciting.
“The finances involved are also unbelievable. This will bring in around £40m and that is a sum of money that gives absolute security for many years and also, potentially, take the club up another level.
“With Celtic guaranteed that level of money due to their automatic entry, it was important not to fall behind them. This keeps things on a level playing field.
“I want to praise James Tavernier and the rest of the squad for their skill, bravery and resilience in the past few weeks. They deserve massive credit because they have been sensational. Wednesday night was very special and I was proud to be there to see it.”
Rangers have spent the last five years desperately trying to fight off the suitors coming down the path for Alfredo Morelos. But Numan says it’s now time for Rangers to seriously consider showing the controversial hitman the door.
The 26-year-old has again been told to take a seat on the naughty step after being left out of Wednesday’s historic win and the weekend routing of Ross County. His sending off at Easter Road last week proved to be the final straw for his boss, with van Bronckhorst deciding it was better to risk his reputation and the club’s Champions League ambitions than put up with the stroppy striker and his attitude issues any longer.
Morelos’ weight has yo-yoed up and down through out his time at the club but the fact he’s allowed himself to get so badly out of shape during his five month injury lay-off has weighed heavily on the Ibrox manager’s mind for too long.
With Antonio Colak no weighing in with his fair share of goals, the boss has decided he no longer has to put up with Morelos’ lack of professionalism. It’s a major call, especially with the player now into the final year of his contract and his transfer value dwindling.
Van Bronckhorst plans to sit down with Morelos today and work out whether there’s a way back for him having called a halt to contract talks. But his former Ibrox team-mate Numan reckons if he doesn’t get the answer he’s looking for, he should instruct sporting director Ross Wilson to start touting for buyers before the transfer window slams shut.
The Ibrox legend said: “Alfredo Morelos would have been at home (on Wednesday) night in Scotland watching the game, hopefully full of regrets that he’d made a huge mistake. He should have been with the squad, helping them with their biggest game in more than a decade. But he was dropped by Giovanni and left behind.
“After several warnings, Giovanni drew the line. He’d had enough of the striker’s bad attitude and ill discipline, on and off the field. I’m not sure what the future holds for Alfredo but I’d definitely be encouraging other clubs to bid for him, test the market and see what fee might be out there.
“His value may not be as high as it should be because clubs are aware they’d be taking a ‘risk’ with him. However, he is still worth a lot of money. It could well be Rangers still decide to give him a new contract and keep him.”
Former PSV ace Numan was at the Philips Stadion to see both of his old clubs cross horns for a place in the group stages. The former left-back spent five years in Glasgow, earning himself legendary status in lifting three SPL titles, four Scottish Cups and three League Cups.
But he says it’s taken Colak just four weeks to secure his place in the hearts of Rangers fans after firing the club back to the Champions League. Writing in his 5Stars column, Numan said: “I was delighted for Antonio Colak to get the all-important winning goal. He is now a club legend! And at a transfer fee of just £1.8m, what a fantastic piece of business.”
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