Rangers have got to be realistic about squad management this summer. Not every exit is dramatic, and not every player needs a big fee attached to it. Sometimes it’s just about clearing space, cutting the wage bill, and giving the manager a cleaner deck to build from.
The big thing for me is identifying the ones where the decision is basically already made. If a player is out of contract in June, or already on a loan that takes care of the situation, then we shouldn’t be tying ourselves in knots. Get the paperwork done, move on, and stop carrying bodies that aren’t contributing.
Out of contract? Don’t overthink it
On the out-of-contract side, Matondo and Dowell feel like the sort of calls you make quickly. If they’re leaving anyway in June, I’d be fine letting them go for nothing now if it saves wages and stops the squad feeling bloated. There’s always a fear of “losing for free”, but the truth is you can lose money by keeping someone you don’t really plan to use.
Davies sounds like one that could naturally take care of itself too if the loan situation runs to the end of the season and lines up with his contract. That’s the kind of tidy exit you actually want more of: no drama, no drawn-out saga, just a clean break.
Fees are nice, but the squad shape matters more
Danilo is a harder one because he’s the type of player you’d love to see work out. But if the club can get a sensible offer now, anything above £1.5m in your view, then it’s at least worth serious consideration. Rangers need impact players, not projects that never quite click. And if moving one on helps fund two better fits, that’s just sensible business.
Bajrami feels similar in terms of outcome, even if the circumstances are different. If it hasn’t worked, it hasn’t worked. At some point you stop waiting for the breakthrough and accept the best move is to shift him, ideally for around £1.5m or more, and reduce both the squad size and wages.
Loans and connections: a possible route out
Rice is one I’ve got a bit of sympathy for. You always want young players to kick on and make it at Rangers, but a permanent move elsewhere can be the right thing if the pathway isn’t clear. Better that than another year stuck in limbo.
Rothwell is the interesting one. There’s been plenty chat and supposed interest, but if nothing’s happened yet it could simply be other clubs needing to shift players first. That’s how it goes. A lot of deals are a chain, and Rangers might be waiting for the first domino to drop.
And on the loan front, you can see why people mention Kilmarnock with the McCann connection. No guarantees and no inside info, just the sort of link that sometimes makes loans easier to set up. Bottom line: Rangers need more minutes going to the right players, and fewer wages sitting on the bench.
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