Rangers’ remaining January budget revealed after £8M spent | OneFootball

With recent confirmation from a decent Rangers source in the form of Chris Jack that Rangers are now being reactive, Ibrox Noise can also reveal that our sources have told us what the remaining Rangers transfer budget for January will be.

January work already done

Rangers have done the main work in January already. Arriving through the front door of the Bill Struth main stand have been Tochi Chukwuani, Tuur Rommens and of course the marquee addition so far, Andreas Skov Olsen. These were three positions that Rangers did need filled and that has now been done very well indeed. However, reactive is now the name of the day. Rangers now want some more but believe that the squad is in a reasonably solid position thanks to those three. That it is a case of desire rather than necessity. Ibrox Noise would not necessarily agree with that.

Remaining budget revealed

We have learned of the budget that remains for what Rangers would like to add. Having spent £8M already on what amounts to a total of £20M worth of talent, Rangers have around £12M left this January window. It is a very healthy budget. In theory, the owner Andrew Cavanagh actually has a bit of a blank chequebook. He has an unlimited level of resources. Rangers can quite literally sign more or less what they want. However, to keep in line with FFP and to keep everything fiscally careful, Rangers will not go that crazy. The Rangers transfer budget for January was around £20M. That means £12M is remaining for the rest of any potential additions.

No fixed targets

As reported by Jack, there are no specific targets waiting that Rangers strictly need. That is to say, we do need a new striker. Some would argue we need a new central defender. Some might also make a claim for a left winger or even a goalkeeper. Regardless of what some say, these positions will only get filled if the right opportunity surfaces. Danny Rohl has been pretty clear about that. It is about seeing what else we can now do. The things we wanted to get done have been done. We got three massive positions filled. But there is more required.

The defence debate

As Ibrox Noise has said, some would argue that we need central defenders. Ibrox Noise does not agree. While defence does not seem like an iron curtain, the players individually are not that bad. John Souttar is solid, if not incredible. Nasser Djiga may not have worked yet, but he is a good defender. Derek Cornelius is a top defender who is unfortunately unavailable through injury right now. Emmanuel Fernandez has been scoring from set pieces. Even so, his actual defensive work has not been as stellar. It is not the most salubrious group of defenders. Individually, they are OK in places.

What the data says

The big point is the stats and the data driven approach that Rangers use. The data does not indicate Rangers need new defenders. Rangers are not conceding a boatload of goals. Domestically, the rearguard is actually quite watertight. Even if fans think the defenders are dire, the numbers do not agree. Consequently, any new additions coming in now are reactive. That applies to any position on the pitch.

Waiting for opportunity

It is about seizing opportunities. It is about taking advantage when a good player arises for a good price. Then it is about seeing if it will work. The reality is Rangers probably will not come close to spending £12M this window. That level of spend would suggest forcing something we want. While that is part of the deal, it is still not reactive. It would suggest a hint of planning.

On the lookout

Rangers are on the lookout for further recruits. However, it is more about perfect opportunities popping up late in the window. We only have around 10 or 11 days left of January. Getting a pre planned target in probably is not necessary now. We have already done that work. So now we wait to see what Rangers can do with potentially around £12M. The Rangers transfer budget remains strong. It simply depends on what pops up.