Calm heads needed on Rangers transfer talk

The transfer debate around Rangers always seems to start in the same place: fees, wages, and folk confidently declaring a player either a star or a dud after a two-minute clip. Truth is, most of the numbers flying about are guesswork, and most of the strong opinions are built on even less.

If the club genuinely believes a certain calibre of player is worth a certain outlay, then I’m fine with that in principle. Rangers need to improve. That’s the bottom line. So when we finally get linked with a signing that feels like it might actually move the needle, it’s odd to see it instantly derided before anyone’s even properly considered the fit.

Form depends on the team around you

One thing that does matter, though, is context. A player can look completely different depending on whether he’s in a side dominating the ball or a side chasing shadows. If someone’s performed well in leagues comparable to ours, that’s at least a reasonable starting point. But if he’s struggled at clubs sitting mid-table or lower, you can ask a fair question: is he better when his team are on top, on the front foot, and playing in the opposition half?

That’s not a “no” in itself. Rangers are expected to be the team pushing games, forcing the tempo, and spending long spells camped around a box. Some players are made for that. Others aren’t. The danger is pretending we can answer it definitively without having watched enough full matches. I know I can’t, and I’d wager plenty of the loudest voices can’t either.

The Motherwell comparison isn’t as simple as it sounds

The alternative name that always gets thrown in is the cheaper SPFL option. Maswanhise is the obvious example in this chat: likely lower fee, likely lower wages. Fine. But playing for Rangers is a different proposition to playing for Motherwell, and everybody knows it. Different expectations, different scrutiny, and different types of opponents most weeks.

There’s also the “career path” question. At 23, with senior football only in one place and a spell in a development side before that, is that a red flag? Maybe, maybe not. It doesn’t make him a bad player, but it’s still a risk you’d need to be comfortable taking.

Fees aren’t just what we hope they are

And here’s the bit that gets ignored when folk talk about “just sign him, he’ll be cheap”: the selling club has a say. Motherwell might not want to sell. And even if they do, they might not want to sell to Rangers on the cheap. If the asking price balloons, suddenly the supposedly “sensible” deal doesn’t look so straightforward.

I like the factual parts of these discussions as much as anyone. But in the end, it comes down to recruitment doing its job and picking the player who fits Rangers, not the player who wins an argument online.

Written by Angus1812: 13 January 2026