When you step back from the emotion and actually look at what Rangers appear to be spending on loan players, it is very hard to argue this is anything other than wasteful. The figures getting talked about might even be on the conservative side, yet they already paint a brutal picture.
Roughly speaking, if the total loan package lands somewhere around the 6.5 million mark, that works out at about £125,000 per week in loan fees alone. That is before you even start on the chunk of wages we are likely picking up for these lads. It is a staggering outlay for such a small return on the park.
The Cost Of Players Who Barely Contribute
On top of that £125k per week in fees, it is not unrealistic to think we are adding another £20–30k per week in wages, minimum. So you are looking at well over £140k a week going out the door for players who, in the best-case scenario, have contributed very little, and in the worst case, effectively nothing at all.
That is the bit that really sticks. It is not just that the numbers are big. It is that there has been so little impact to justify them. When loan players come in, you expect clear upgrades, lads who walk into the team and change the level. Instead, we have ended up with expensive passengers far too often.
What Else Could That Money Have Done?
Once you start thinking about alternative uses for that same budget, it gets even more depressing. With 6–7 million to play with, you could realistically be looking at two or three permanent signings in the £2m bracket, on lower wages, who are actually part of a long-term plan rather than gone in a year.
Or, if the market is tight, you can go down the free-agent route and use that money as signing-on fees and sensible wages for better quality players. There are different ways to build a squad, but burning through millions on short-term loans who barely kick a ball has to be close to the worst of them. It feels like we have chosen the most expensive, least sustainable option.
No Real Defence For This Level Of Mismanagement
And that is before you even add in the cash already wasted on permanent deals for players who simply have not worked out. Once you bolt those fees and wages onto the loan numbers, the overall picture goes from grim to alarming. It does not look like a coherent recruitment strategy; it looks like one mistake piled on top of another.
Some will always try to spin it, to say there were reasons, that circumstances forced our hand, that it is not as bad as it looks. But when you strip away the excuses, there is very little case for the defence. This feels like a seismic failure in how the club has managed football finances. For a club of our size, with our support and expectations, that kind of omni-shambles is simply not something we should ever accept as normal.
If Rangers are serious about moving forward, this type of spending pattern on loans and failed signings has to be the first thing that is ripped up and rebuilt properly. Otherwise we will just keep paying big money for very small returns.
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