Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers have signed four players this month, in total.
Mark Hateley has revealed to The Scottish Sun that Rangers duo Steven Gerrard and Mark Allen aren’t signing short-term fixes this month, insisting they are looking at the big picture.
Two of Rangers’ biggest additions so far in January have been Steven Davis, who re-signed for the Blues on a six-month loan from Southampton, while Jermain Defoe has arrived on an 18-month loan from Bournemouth.
The Gers have also signed the exciting duo of Glen Kamara and Jordan Jones on pre-contract agreements.
On the surface it looks like Defoe and Davis – whose combined age adds up to 70 – have been signed as stop-gap additions, until somebody better comes along in both instances.
But former Ibrox hero Hateley, who claims to have spoken with manager Gerrard and Director of Football Allen ‘a lot’, insists that the pair have a long-term vision in mind, in regards to the recruitment side of things.
He told The Scottish Sun: “They are looking way beyond this season — these signings are not a short-term fix. I’ve spoken to Mark Allen and Steven a lot and we’re not looking to the summer.
“We’re looking to the next summer and the next summer. You need to set for this summer and look two windows down the line to see what we are trying to achieve. The grand scheme is the big picture — it’s not just ‘We have to win the title’.”
Long-term planning is crucial for Rangers, considering the problems that they faced back in 2012.
It also seems likely that Davis will be staying at Ibrox for a while longer than his six-month loan suggests.
He clearly has no future with the Premier League strugglers any longer and although it’s only a temporary agreement, he’ll probably be signed up on a permanent basis this summer.
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