(Credit: Imago)
Tue 26 August 2025 7:00, UK
Rangers’ new owners could be ready to take a transfer “gamble” as the club’s Champions League hopes hang by a thread.
Russell Martin is already under pressure at Ibrox after failing to win any of his opening three Scottish Premiership games in charge at Rangers.
Meanwhile, the Glasgow side lost 3-1 to Club Brugge in their Champions League play-off round first leg, with the second leg taking place in Belgium on Wednesday (27 August).
Old Firm rivals Celtic are also fighting for their place in the league phase of the competition, having drawn 0-0 at home against Kairat.
Russell Martin has faced a challenging start as the Rangers boss (Credit: Imago)Rangers and Celtic face ‘huge’ challenge
This article contains exclusive comment from Stefan Borson, a former financial adviser to Man City.
Rangers would be in line for a significant windfall if they manage to turn things around against Club Brugge and qualify for the Champions League.
The Scottish giants banked around £17million from the Europa League last season after reaching the quarter-finals of the competition before being knocked out by Athletic Bilbao.
MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “I think both the Scottish clubs that have got Champions League possibility, I think from a planning perspective it’s quite hard for them because we’ve got this huge contingency that depends on the qualifiers.
“So, when do you decide to spend the money and with the certainty that you’re going to get into the competition? You have this decision to make.
“Do we spend and that helps us get into the competition? Do we wait until we formally qualify and then spend? I think that’s the challenge that they’ve got.
“I suspect what will happen going forward is that somebody will gamble on it and it may well be Rangers under the new ownership, and they’ll just say, we’re going to go heavy quite early on in the window. We’re going to make sure that we do qualify.
“Then it’s all going to fall into place because we’re going to be in the Champions League. That will pay for the investment we made before, but I do think it’s a big strategic decision that they’ve got to make.
“Obviously, it now looks very hard for Rangers, and Celtic probably feel more confident.”
Brendan Rodgers is looking to help secure Celtic’s place in the Champions League (Credit: Imago)Russell Martin’s three-man Rangers signing plan revealed
In terms of potential incomings at Ibrox, Football Insider revealed on 17 August Rangers are targeting three key areas ahead of the transfer deadline on 1 September, with bringing in a new striker, winger and centre-back the priority.
Martin’s side have signed Oscar Cortes, Oliver Antman, Thelo Aasgaard, Emmanuel Fernandez, Djeidi Gassama, Joe Rothwell and Lyall Cameron on permanent deals.
Meanwhile, Mikey Moore, Nasser Djiga, Max Aarons and Jayden Meghoma have all made the move to Ibrox on loan.
For more Rangers and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.
Related Posts