Former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie has claimed that he was laughing when he heard about Rangers’ signing targets.
The Ibrox club will be looking to produce a firmer title challenge next season to Celtic. It was just today in which they signed Jake Hastie, but Rangers have also been linked with the likes of John Souttar. Jordan Jones has also been tied up from Kilmarnock.
McAvennies doesn’t believe that Celtic have anything to worry about if this is the level of player their foes are targeting. Indeed, not one of them are proven winners at their current clubs.
But McAvennie certainly wasn’t convinced about the potential challenge Celtic could have next year. Speaking to Simon Ferry’s Open Goal video last week, Macca said the following:
“The boy Jones and Hastie from Motherwell. Listen, they’re good prospects but that’s all they are. They’re prospects if they can step up to the grade, but a lot of people can’t so I’ll reserve judgement on that.
“They’re talking about [John Souttar] going to Rangers, I was laughing because if these are the players – Hastie, Jones, Souttar – if those are the players that are going to try and stop Celtic next year then they’re in for a hard time.
“I think Celtic will spend, and the players they’ve got are the moment are better than Rangers’. “I don’t think that’s going to get them close to Celtic, those kind of players. If that’s the kind of standard they’re going to go for…”
Important that we keep our feet on the ground
It’s okay for the likes of McAvennie and supporters having a look at who Rangers are signing. It’s fine to have a chuckle about it too, if you’re of the same opinion as Macca. But, as for the club, we can’t afford to be complacent.
Just because Rangers aren’t being linked with proven players of high quality doesn’t mean we should underestimate them.
McAvennie’s pleasure at Rangers’ targets appears to be in the knowledge that we’ll recruit well. This simply has to be the case, but even so, not every big-money player does a job. The closer we get to 10-in-a-row, the more careful we have to be about underestimating our rivals.
The gap can still be what Celtic want it to be, but only if they invest in genuine quality. That’s the best chance we have of running away from our rivals once more. But even then, every signing is made with a tinge of hope as well as expectation.
As much as we can smile and chuckle at the players Rangers are signing, they’re making moves to build their squad. Hopefully, once the treble treble is over the line and a new permanent manager is confirmed, then we can start confirming our own deals.
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