Rangers recruitment chief steps down after 15 months at Ibrox as club prepare to reassess transfer strategy
Former Everton scout will assist with the handover as Rangers prepare to review their recruitment structure ahead of the January window
Rangers recruitment chief Dan Purdy is set to leave his role at Ibrox after just 15 months with the club.
The former Everton scout has resigned from his position as technical director, despite efforts from the Rangers board to convince him to remain in post.
Purdy’s imminent departure comes in the wake of another busy transfer window for the Light Blues, with the club bringing in 14 new players while 19 departed.
However, the Daily Record claim sources at Ibrox have stressed that Purdy’s decision was entirely his own and that there was no push from the club for him to leave. He will remain involved in the short term to help ensure a smooth transition.
The 32-year-old arrived in Glasgow last summer alongside former Everton colleague Kevin Thelwell. While Thelwell’s spell at Rangers lasted less than six months before he was dismissed following the ill-fated appointment of Russell Martin as head coach, Purdy was retained and tasked with helping Martin’s successor, Danny Rohl, prepare for the January transfer window.
Rangers signed 30 players during Purdy’s time overseeing recruitment, although just four of the 12 players brought in during Martin’s tenure remain at the club.
Rohl himself departed over the summer, with Derek McInnes subsequently appointed as the new Rangers manager. McInnes endured his own frustrations in the transfer market, particularly as Rangers struggled to secure attacking reinforcements with the summer window approaching its conclusion.
The club eventually completed a deadline-day double, signing striker Kevin Kelsy for a reported £9 million and bringing in VfB Stuttgart winger Badredine Bouanani on an initial loan deal with the club retaining an option to buy next summer.
Those deals, however, came after Rangers suffered a disastrous European campaign, exiting the Europa League at the hands of Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok before an embarrassing penalty shoot-out defeat to Czech outfit Jablonec in the Conference League.
Purdy’s exit will now prompt a wider review of Rangers’ recruitment structure, although the club currently has no intention of appointing a direct replacement.
Performance director Stig Inge Bjornebye and chief executive Jim Gillespie are expected to continue overseeing recruitment ahead of the January window, working alongside chairman Andrew Cavenagh and his deputy Paraag Marathe.
Despite Purdy’s decision to step down, sources close to the club insist Rangers remain satisfied with the work he carried out during his time at Ibrox. There is also a belief within the club that McInnes now has a stronger and more competitive squad, with greater depth and versatility available across the team.
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