£50k a week in Scotland is the kind of number that makes supporters sit up, and for good reason. Even with Rangers being Rangers, those wages are eye-watering in the SPFL context. Unless there’s some sort of outside help, it’s hard to believe many deals up here sit at that level without raising eyebrows.
The defence isn’t the bit that’s letting us down
The thing is, when you look at Rangers this season, the defensive side of the team hasn’t been the problem. If anything, it’s been the most reliable part of the side. We’ve looked organised more often than not, and the overall record backs up that general feeling.
It’s also telling where some of the goal threat has come from. Tavernier popping up with goals and assists isn’t new, but it does underline a bigger issue: too much of the attacking output is being dragged out of the back line or wide areas. That can win you games, sure, but it’s not a healthy long-term plan if the players further forward aren’t consistently creating and finishing.
Creativity up front has to be the window priority
That’s why the lack of goals and invention in the front areas feels so glaring. In a lot of SPFL matches Rangers are asked to break down a set block, with opponents sitting in and daring you to find a pass through them. If your forward line isn’t sharp, it turns into sterile possession and the odd hopeful delivery.
Skov Olsen, if he’s being viewed as part of that solution, feels like a good start in terms of quality and intent. But one signing rarely fixes a whole attacking problem on its own. Rangers need more than a spark. We need options, variety, and a few players who can make something happen when the game goes flat.
Summer planning: the back line could change quickly
There’s also a practical squad-build issue looming. If Aarons, Djiga and Meghoma are heading back to parent clubs in the summer, that’s three defensive bodies potentially out the door at once. Whatever you think of each individual, that kind of turnover means recruitment has to be planned, not panicked.
And then there’s Tavernier. I’d be fine with a one-year deal, with a new right-back recruited in the summer to start nudging the succession plan along properly. Sterling can cover right-back, but I’m with the view that he looks more natural in midfield. Put him in front of the defence, ask him to win it and keep it simple, and you could get real value there. At right-back, especially in most domestic games, you need that extra attacking edge, and that’s not really Sterling’s game.
Sort the goals now, then build the back line sensibly in the summer. That feels like the clear order of business.
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