Barry Ferguson is getting carried away with the Rangers takeover chatter with talk of reaching the Champions League and ‘knocking Celtic off their perch’.
Rangers are said to be in ‘advanced talks’ with a US-based consortium led by 49ers Enterprises president and Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe.
49ers Enterprises are the investment wing of NFL team San Francisco 49ers who are bankrolled by the York family – they are said to boast a net worth of $6.7bn, according to Forbes.
Rangers fans are ecstatic by the news – but former captain Ferguson is getting ahead of himself as he champions the cringeworthy ‘Make Rangers Great Again’ campaign.
He’s been writing in the Daily Record about the potential investment into Rangers by Marathe and his consortium and thinks this could be the ‘real deal’ for the Ibrox club.
Giddy Ferguson on Rangers takeover talks
Ferguson then went on to namecheck Celtic twice in the column – firstly about how far ahead the Bhoys are from a financial aspect and secondly on the hope Rangers can knock the most successful team in Scotland ‘off their perch’.
“I’m trying my best not to get carried away. But it’s difficult”, began Ferguson.
“Because, from the moment the Daily Record broke the news about the San Francisco 49ers and a possible Ibrox takeover, I’ve had the feeling that this might be the chance to Make Rangers Great Again.
“Like I say, there’s still some way to go before the Americans have got this deal over the line. And it’s natural to feel a bit wary until the deal is over the line because these things are never done until they are done.
“But, over the last 24 hours, I’ve been looking into what this might mean for my old club and I must admit, I’m excited.
“This doesn’t feel like pie in the sky. It feels like the real deal – and anyone with any connection with Rangers knows it’s exactly what the place has been crying out for.”
Ferguson went on to justify why 49ers Enterprises can get Rangers moving in the right direction, before coming away with another premature and ill-advised statement about Celtic.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  CelticCeltic | 26 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 76 | 12 | 64 | 69 |
| 2 |  RangersRangers | 26 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 54 | 20 | 34 | 56 |
| 3 |  AberdeenAberdeen | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 34 | 39 | -5 | 38 |
| 4 |  Dundee UtdDundee Utd | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 32 | 31 | 1 | 37 |
He continued: “If the right people put the right plan in place to return the club to No.1 spot in Scottish football, the opportunities are massive.
“And I’m pretty sure that’ll be the motivation behind this potential buy out. Which can only be good news for Rangers.
“If this deal goes through then the first priority will be to win back the domestic title because that’s what the whole business model will be based on.
“If any investor wants to maximise their returns, it means getting into the Champions League. And that means knocking Celtic off their perch.
“That’s certainly music to my ears and I’m pretty sure almost all my fellow fans out there will be feeling the same way.”
Why Leeds United will dampen Ferguson’s Rangers takeover spirits
Once again, Ferguson is a dreamer and not a realist. If he read between the lines, he would understand that any 49ers Enterprises takeover of Rangers doesn’t necessarily mean a significant cash injection.
And without that, Rangers have no chance of catching Celtic – who will take home over £50m from their Champions League campaign this season compared to Rangers’ £18m from the Europa League.
Renowned finance expert Kieran Maguire delivered his immediate reaction to the takeover talk on X and delivered a dose of reality to giddy Rangers fans like Ferguson.
He said that because 49ers Enterprises already own Leeds United, Rangers fans can’t expect to be financially transformed overnight.
Maguire wrote: “The biggest issue at Rangers is in relation to boardroom and investor issues as there has been a lot of conflict, although things seem to be improving.
“New owners could assist, but note that SF49’ers already own Leeds United so it is unlikely to be a huge cash injection.”
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