Rangers’ wage bill is better, but there’s still work to do on big earners | OneFootball

Rangers’ wage bill is better, but there’s still work to do on big earners | OneFootball

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Ibrox Noise

·13 January 2026

Rangers’ wage bill is better, but there’s still work to do on big earners

Article image:Rangers’ wage bill is better, but there’s still work to do on big earners

Rangers supporters have watched wages spiral for years without results to justify them. Moreover the club now carries deals that choke progress. Therefore fans demand change. The numbers no longer add up. As highlighted when Rangers fans were absolutely raging with Kevin Thelwell, the problem runs deeper than just the manager. While rivals build smarter models Rangers still carry legacy contracts. Consequently the board must act fast. This Rangers wage bill crisis sits at the heart of every failure.

Inflated contracts have poisoned squad balance

Rangers handed out contracts that never matched output. As a result the squad lost hunger. Players arrived with reputations yet delivered flashes only. Meanwhile wages stayed massive. This was plain when Ross Wilson lost Rangers £45m through bloated recruitment. Rabbi Matondo earns about £30K pw. Danilo sits nearer 40. Butland is on 35 while Tav hits 37. Therefore expectations soar. However returns stayed thin. Injuries hit. Form dipped. Still the pay kept flowing. Ben Davies is still Rangers’ player until this summer and pocketed a whopping 30K pw at Ibrox.


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Moreover these deals distort recruitment. Young targets see a blocked pathway. Senior players coast. Consequently the wage structure collapses. Rangers then chase fixes. That adds more cost. Each window repeats the cycle. As noted when Steven Gerrard gave Rangers an ultimatum over Kevin Thelwell, boardroom decision-making has worsened the mess. Fans see it. Opponents exploit it. Therefore accountability must follow.

Also contracts signed earlier now haunt the club. They linger on the wage bill. Movement stalls. Buyers hesitate. Thus Rangers carry dead weight. Every week the damage grows. Even The Guardian flagged the club’s lack of clear direction in handling executive and financial matters.

Why selling matters more than buying now

Rangers need sales before signings. First trim the wage bill. Then rebuild properly. Otherwise progress stalls again. High earners with low impact must go. That includes players signed with hope not logic. Therefore tough calls matter. Training Ground Guru outlined how quickly things unravel without alignment between performance and contracts.

Furthermore shedding wages frees strategy. Sporting direction gains clarity. Youth pathways reopen. Recruitment targets hunger and value. As a result performances lift. The club regains control. Smart clubs do this yearly. Rangers must follow.

A hard reset offers a real way forward

Rangers still hold massive appeal. The badge sells ambition. Europe beckons. However wages must match reality. Therefore the reset starts now. Clear the decks. Move on high earners. Promote driven talent.

Meanwhile reinvest with care. Target resale. Value minutes. Build a hungry core. Then add quality leaders. This path works elsewhere. It can work here.

Finally the support wants honesty and action. No more muddling through. No more comfort contracts. Win or move on. That standard built Rangers. Restore it. End the Rangers wage bill crisis and let the club breathe again.

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