Caixinha responds when asked about Rangers’ pursuit of Jamie Walker and possible pre-contract

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Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has responded to questions about the club’s pursuit of Jamie Walker.

Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has told The Scottish Sun that he is not disappointed despite failing to sign Jamie Walker – and offered a coy response to questions about a pre-contract agreement for the Hearts winger.

The Gers ended the summer transfer window with 11 new signings, as Bruno Alves, Fabio Cardoso, Declan John, Ryan Jack, Graham Dorrans, Carlos Pena, Dalcio, Daniel Candeias, Aaron Nemane, Eduardo Herrera and Alfredo Morelos all arrived at Ibrox.

Caixinha’s Ibrox overhaul largely went well, bringing in the majority of his top targets – but one player who the Gers couldn’t sign was Hearts ace Jamie Walker.

As reported by BBC Sport, Rangers failed with two bids to sign Walker back in June, and despite continued interest, Rangers couldn’t get a deal done for the wide man before last Thursday’s transfer deadline.

Many expected Rangers to finally get the deal over the line late in the window; Walker has turned down offers of a new contract at Tynecastle, and can leave the club for nothing at the end of the season when his contract expires.

Rangers had hoped to capitalise on that with a cut-price deal, but Hearts stood firm on their valuation of the Scot, meaning Rangers missed out on a player that many fans believe was the perfect replacement for Barrie McKay.

With 15 goals in all competitions last season, Walker could have been a huge addition for the Gers, but manager Caixinha is adamant that he isn’t disappointed to have missed out on his signature.

Caixinha has told The Scottish Sun that he feels he has enough quality in his squad even without Walker, and offered a coy response when asked about a possible pre-contract agreement for Walker in January, noting that a lot can change between now and January – possibly giving the likes of Dalcio and Nemane a chance to shine before the next transfer window.

“No I’m not disappointed – I’d only be disappointed if we didn’t have cover in all the positions. Now I have – and I’ve told you from the very beginning and I can say it all day long – the best squad, I have the best players so I am happy,” said Caixinha.

“The window finished on August 31 and doesn’t open again until January. So from now to then a lot of things can happen. But definitely we cannot change the group that we have, so we are happy with what we have,” he added.