Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst offered a ‘concerning’ outlook on the January transfer window last week, Paddy Kenny has told Football Insider.
The lowdown
The Dutchman said prior to the turn of the year that he didn’t ‘expect anything’ to happen in terms of incomings this month. He added the caveat that ‘you need to be ready for anything’ because ‘you never know’ and expressed his hope that he wouldn’t end the window ‘with a smaller squad’.
Back in November, Rangers announced a loss of £23.5m, taking their total losses under the current regime to £73.8m in six years (via The Athletic), and Jordan Campbell wrote that if the Gers are to achieve self-sustainability, they will have to sell players ‘at the optimum time’.
The latest
Reacting to the manager’s quotes, Kenny said that Van Bronckhorst ‘doesn’t sound confident’ and thinks that Rangers are bracing themselves for the departures of some key players this month.
The former Premier League goalkeeper remarked to Football Insider. “It’s concerning. To me, it sounds like he’s preparing for exits.”
“Why make that comment about squad size if you are confident of keeping your players? It sounds like he’s expecting people to go. The good thing is that they will be replaced.
“So there you go. I just think there are a lot of rumours about certain players who may leave.
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“So maybe he is quelling fears. I don’t think anything is lined up, that’s not what it sounds like. But, to me, Van Bronckhorst doesn’t sound confident of keeping that squad together.
“There are players where they will be thinking ‘they are gone’ and that’s not ideal.”
The verdict
Worryingly, the process to which Kenny alludes may already have begun. It emerged on Sunday evening that Nathan Patterson is headed for the exit door amid a seemingly imminent move to Everton.
That deal will see Rangers pocket a club record fee from a player sale, which they may then be able to reinvest in the squad to some extent.
But how many more will follow Patterson? The likes of Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and Ryan Kent have all been linked with exits this month, so it promises to be a nervous time for Gers fans.
In other news, many Rangers fans flocked to this transfer update
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