Dave King concerned by lack of Deadline Day transfer activity at Rangers after landing European windfall

The South African businessman expected to see some further signings arrive at Ibrox late in the transfer window.
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Former Rangers chairman Dave King admits he was shocked the club didn’t dip into their Champions League cash pot to make additional signings before the end of the transfer window.

The Ibrox club had a relatively quiet end to the summer window last week, with only youngster Stephen Kelly complete a permanent move to Livingston on deadline-day.

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King reckons additional funds gained from Rangers European exploits last season and the decision to sell players like Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo to Ajax and Southampton respectively should have been utilised to strengthen the current squad.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’ side fly to Amsterdam this afternoon ahead of their Champions League group stage opener against Ajax tomorrow on the back of a disappointing 4-0 Old Firm defeat to Celtic.

King insists he’s at a loss to explain why the Light Blues decided not to make any further signings before the window closed at midnight last Thursday.

He said: “With Rangers, you always had a plan A, B and C. Plan A is what you do in Scotland if you don’t reach the Europa League group stages.

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“Plan B is what happens if you do get in. Plan C is what happens if you reach the group stages of the Champions League.

“Clearly, the club don’t win the Champions League. You aren’t going to spend the kind of money needed to win it.

“But you can take away the bonuses gained from reaching the group stage to strengthen your team so you can win the Premiership.

“Given where we’ve come from, and given we’ve now got the Champions League moneym I am susrprised the surplus resources hasn’t found its way back into the team.

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“That is my big concern. I go back to the end of last year when the club presented its accounts, and Douglas Park and Stewart Robertson said Rangers was going to be profitable this year.

“That benchmark for profitability for this year did not include Nathan Patterson’s transfer, and didn’t include at that stage reaching the group stages of the Europa League.

“It did not include running to the final of the Europa League, and did not include getting into the Champions League this season. I add all the bonuses we have got from a situation that was already profitable.

Former Rangers chairman Dave King has hit out at the club for showing indifference to fans. Picture: SNSFormer Rangers chairman Dave King has hit out at the club for showing indifference to fans. Picture: SNS
Former Rangers chairman Dave King has hit out at the club for showing indifference to fans. Picture: SNS

“I am just very concerned I’m not seeing these funds channelled back into the team. If I go back to title No55 and where we were as a club relative to Scottish football, we dominated that season.

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“We had the chance to kick on, but we didn’t improve the squad. We are seeing all this money coming in and it is fantastic financially, but is it actually going to go back into the team right now?

“We’ve lost good players. I’m not seeing a significantly stronger team for all the money that’s come in.”

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