Ibrox legend Kris Boyd has hit out at Rangers’ recruitment team with £3 million Cedric Itten just one of many underwhelming arrivals in recent transfer windows, speaking to the Scottish Sun.
Itten should really have been a cautionary tale at Ibrox. Instead, his is a story we have seen play out again and again during the Ross Wilson era. A player brought amid lofty expectations, one who never comes close to nailing down a starting place before departing via the back door.
Itten set Rangers back around £3 million when he arrived from St Gallen nearly three years ago. After 48 games and only eight goals, he was on his way out of Ibrox, departing for half of the fee the Gers paid for him in the first place.
The phrase ‘indicative of a wider problem’ comes to mind.
With none of Rangers’ seven summer signings starting last week’s 3-0 home defeat to Napoli in the Champions League group-stages, Wilson and co certainly aren’t escaping any scrutiny as the club’s recruitment team finds themselves under the glare of the microscope.
Is recruitment the reason for Rangers’ poor form?
“Since Ross Wilson arrived as sporting director in October 2019, the club have signed 25 first-team players. Only two of them — James Sands and John Lundstram — started against Napoli,” Boyd explains.
“What does it say about the transfer policy when you have to rely on the old heads for a Champions League match of that importance?
“Rangers fans have every right to ask what’s going on with recruitment. The club can’t turn a blind eye to it.”
It’s telling that, with Alfredo Morelos unavailable throughout much of this season, under-fire head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst has had no choice but to throw Antonio Colak in at the deep end more often than not. Though an excellent finisher, the Croatian lacks Morelos’ bullishness off-the-ball, denying Rangers the outlet they so obviously need against high-quality European opposition.
“Van Bronckhorst still doesn’t have another striker who can properly fill that void if (Morelos is) out,” Boyd adds. “Which brings me back to recruitment again.
“I rate Kemar Roofe highly. But he’s also injury-prone and hasn’t been available enough. Cedric Itten was a waste of money and he was never going to be good enough for Rangers.
“Fashion Sakala? I love the fact he plays with a smile on his face but I was never convinced he was the answer. I said that after he scored a hat-trick against Motherwell last season and took massive criticism — but I was correct.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
