Michael Beale has been bullish ahead of his first summer transfer window in charge of Rangers.
The Ibrox boss has confirmed he has money to spend and believes he’s identified “really good” players sporting director Ross Wilson is now tasked with bringing in the door. Celtic’s recruitment has paid off and then some, with a net spend over the near-two seasons Ange Postecoglou has been in charge around the £8million mark, which has delivered three trophies with at least another one on the way.
The question is, how do Rangers compete with their rivals in the transfer market? In terms of wages on offer? Football finance expert Kieran Maguire explains there isn';t a great deal of difference between the big two, he claims Gers wages included performance-based incentives, but in the grand scheme of things, they aren’t going to be blown out the water in terms of what's on offer across the city.
Champions League qualification is key then, not just to bring in much more cash, but to help sway players who could be on the fence if they found themselves having to pick one half of the Old Firm over the other. When asked how a player might decide between Celtic and Rangers based purely on salary, Maggiore told BBC Scotland: “There was only a £4million difference in the 2022 accounts. But my understanding is that Rangers’ wage bill was heavily incentivised towards achieving success in getting to the Europa League final, as well as winning the Premiership.
“So there were some advantages that the club has had in the last couple of years, that has accelerated the wage bill. Whether that can be maintained is uncertain, although with both Scottish clubs it’s having the ability to compete in the Champions League group stage. That is worth a huge amount of money and that can make Rangers more competitive.
“I don’t think the gap is significant. I think it would be down to an individual contract or the persuasiveness of the manager in terms of making a final decision from a player’s point of view. Monetarily, there’s not a lot of difference."
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