To be fair, the idea of buying potential makes sense on paper — sign a young player, give him minutes, then cash in. Trouble is, the market we operate in doesn’t always reward that script. Paying £20M for a player coming straight out of the SPFL puts Rangers in a different bracket and the arithmetic starts to look uncomfortable very quickly.

The market handicap

You only need to look at how scouts and buyers view different leagues. The Portuguese Primeira Liga and the Eredivisie have built reputations as finishing schools and that helps command bigger fees. The SPFL, by contrast, is still widely seen as a lower-coefficient environment. That perception limits which clubs are willing to pay big money up front for a player who hasn’t proven himself at a higher level.

How the numbers stack up

We can’t invent the clauses and wage bills that come with any signing. Add wages, agent fees and sell-on arrangements and a £20M purchase can quickly cease to be a sensible investment unless the player becomes a record breaker. With the Scottish transfer high-water mark sitting around the £25M mark — as cited with the O'Riley and Jota exits — a near-£20M fee doesn’t leave much margin for profit. To break even after everything, Moore would need to be sold for a sum that would rewrite the Scottish record, and that’s a tall order.

What makes sense for Rangers

So what’s the sensible route? To me it’s not necessarily about headline fees but about value. Invest where the upside is clear, develop well, and sell regularly rather than banking everything on one big gamble. If we start seeing a run of sales at Jota-level fees then the market changes and our calculus will too. Until then, paying huge money straight away feels like a risk rather than smart business.

As fans we want ambition, but ambition needs to sit beside common sense. You can see why the proposal appeals, but the numbers and the market reality make me sceptical.

Written by Angus1812: 23 May 2026

Tags: transfers