It’s hard not to feel a bit upbeat about Rangers’ transfer work so far. You can argue about profiles and positions all day, but the key thing is there’s movement, and it finally feels like the squad is being nudged in a clearer direction. The exciting bit, obviously, is what the three new faces actually do once the competitive stuff starts. Pre-season can flatter and fool in equal measure.
The outgoings always feel messy
Where it gets a bit more uncertain is the exit door. Fans hear a move is “as good as done”, then suddenly a player is still involved in friendlies and you’re left scratching your head. That’s why the question over Rothwell and a reported Sheffield United situation is a fair one. If something is genuinely close, you’d assume the club would be cautious with minutes, if only to protect the player and protect the deal.
That said, football doesn’t always work like it should. Sometimes there’s no signed paperwork, sometimes it’s just agents talking, sometimes the buying club is still shifting their own pieces around. And sometimes, bluntly, the manager wants bodies on the pitch because training is one thing, match fitness is another. It’s not always a conspiracy or a drama.
Playing them: risk or reality?
The worry about injury is real though, especially when it’s someone you expect to be moved on. Dowell getting game time, for example, will split opinion. On one hand, if you’re trying to sell someone, it helps if they look sharp and available. On the other, one tweak and the whole situation turns into a problem for everyone. Rangers have lived that story before.
From a supporter’s point of view, you just want clarity. If a player is part of the plan, fine, get him up to speed. If he’s not, you’d rather the club protects its own position and moves things along quickly.
Bove on a free: tempting, but only with certainty
Then there’s the left-field suggestion: Edoardo Bove. If he’s been released due to Serie A rules around a heart implant, and if he’s genuinely cleared to continue his career elsewhere, you can see why fans would at least discuss it. Rangers can’t afford passengers, but we also can’t ignore value when it’s staring us in the face.
Still, it would only ever come down to medical certainty and proper due diligence. Not “probably fine”, not “worth a gamble”, but absolute confidence from specialists that he’s safe to play, train, and live normally in a high-intensity environment. If that box isn’t ticked beyond doubt, you walk away. If it is, and the football side stacks up, it’s the kind of opportunity clubs at our level would be mad not to at least consider.
One thing Rangers need this summer
Whatever happens with individual names, the broader need is pretty simple: a squad that can handle the rhythm of Scottish football. That means legs in midfield, players who can press and recover, and enough depth that we’re not running the same group into the ground by October. If the recruitment and the outgoings match up, that’s when you start feeling properly confident.
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