Rangers were favourites to make it through to the group stages of Champions League football. They lost 2-1 against Malmo on the road but were supposed to turn things around at Ibrox on Tuesday night. Things, however, took a drastic turn when the ten-man visitors scored twice early into the second half. It was a ‘now or never’ final half an hour for the Gers, but they surrendered in a shambolic manner to get eliminated from this prestigious European competition.
The blip has now turned into a bigger problem as the Bears must think about their finances before doing further transfer business. They have the fans back in the stadium, but the monetary loss in the wake of the pandemic might haunt them at the end of the ongoing term. The Champions League exit has added more misery to their revenue and Rangers, having spent significantly in recent years to rebuild the squad, must listen to offers for their prized assets to balance the books.
A financial collapse would bring back the nightmare of the 2010s and the gaffer needs to understand the same after being backed by the board meticulously in recent years. This has been echoed by former Rangers star Charlie Adam while speaking to BBC Sportsound (as claimed by Glasgow Live).
“The Champions League’s gone, they’re in the Europa League and they’ve got qualifiers for that next week, they’ve got to look to that. Do they have to sell players, do they have to do certain things? It’s a huge blow for everybody.”
These are still early days and the successful title defence along with a decent Europa League run would restore the stability to some extent. Having said that, it won’t be a stroll in the park this time around. Celtic are a galvanized force under Ange Postecoglou, also the potential key exits would enfeeble the Light Blues.
Why Rangers Should Sanction Moves For The In-demand Stars
While the Hoops have been spot on in terms of summer business, Rangers’ new arrivals are yet to prove their worth in their respective roles. Fashion Sakala is nowhere close to Alfredo Morelos despite his impressive scoring streak in Belgian First Division A, whereas high-profile John Lundstram has been a shadow of his Premier League version so far in these early contests.
Both of them would need time to settle in and deliver, but the time is ticking for the Glasgow giants who must sanction the transfers of Alfredo Morelos and Glen Kamara in order to avoid bankruptcy and consequences. Clubs have been circling like vultures for the Rangers pair and the egress from the Champions League might see them settling for a lower fee with no room for hardball.
