Chris Sutton has been left confused by Rangers’ signing strategy

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The outspoken pundit doesn’t understand why Rangers boss Steven Gerrard brought so many attackers to Ibrox this summer.

BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton has questioned why Rangers brought so many attackers to the club this summer if the Ryan Kent deal was always in the pipeline, writing in his regular Daily Record column.

Kent was a deadline day signing for the Gers after the club pulled off a sensational permanent move for the 22-year-old winger.

Rangers supporters will be hoping last season’s young player of the year will be able to recapture the form shown in the second half of the season and significantly boost their trophy hopes this term.

Sutton though has been left wondering what it means for others at Ibrox and why the club rushed out to sign so many wingers earlier in the transfer window.

As quoted by The Daily Record, he said: “I’m also doubting the strategy which brought the signing about. Rangers, of course, will tell you he was always the one they wanted. That’s what clubs say. You can’t blame them. They have to dress it up.

“But if Kent was the one they were always going to get, why sign Jordan Jones? Why sign Sheyo Ojo? Why sign Jake Hastie? Why sign Greg Stewart?

“Mind you, given the fact Gerrard has been allowed to sign about 25 players since he walked in the front door of Ibrox just over a year ago, maybe it shouldn’t be that much of a shock.

“Nonetheless, it makes no sense to me. If that was the strategy all along, then it puzzles me.”

Have Rangers signed too many players?

Perhaps the thing Sutton is missing with his comments is that the Gers couldn’t really afford to sit around waiting for Kent this summer. Players needed to be added to the squad quickly.

European qualifiers kicked off in early July and with everyone knowing Kent was being assessed at Liverpool for most of the summer and Daniel Candeias was on his way out of the club, the Ibrox did the right thing adding a bit of quality to the wide areas.

Hastie and Jones, two players mentioned by Sutton, had already signed pre-contracts. Hastie has since been sent of a development loan too.

Ojo was an important addition to help the team through early rounds of the UEFA Europa League.

Stewart is a utility player whose signing looks designed to have been about adding depth.

The signing of that quartet doesn’t really contradict a continued pursuit of Kent, whose signing went right down to the wire. They couldn’t gamble on it definitely happening.

As it stands, Gerrard will be hoping to guide Rangers to a 60+ game season and he’ll need to use a lot of the squad in place to keep his players competitive and fresh.