It's no surprise that Michael Beale has decided to go shopping in the English Championship. The Rangers boss is hoping to tie up deals for Norwich City’s Todd Cantwell and Morgan Whittaker from Swansea. And who can blame him? It’s a market he knows well, having returned to Ibrox from QPR not that long ago.
Michael obviously feels there is some top talent in that league - and I agree with him. I’m back in the Championship again as Huddersfield Town’s assistant boss. And I’ve quickly realised again just how difficult a place it is to compete - both on and off the pitch. At the high end of this division, there are some massive clubs who are paying top dollar for players.
Just like Premier League prices, Rangers - or Celtic for that matter - can’t get close to that in terms of transfer fees. Look at some of the figures being bandied about. I’ll give you an example. If Michael fancied signing Watford’s Brazilian striker Joao Pedro, it would cost upwards of £25 million to get him. In terms of his wages, they will be at a level Rangers couldn’t get near.
