Kris Boyd reckons only FOUR current Rangers stars are guaranteed a place in Michael Beale's squad as the massive summer overhaul looms.
The Light Blues face a huge summer of ins and outs at the club as the new boss kicks off a new era and puts his own stamp on the Ibrox outfit. His recruitment started in January with Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin, two of the names that will be stick-ons for a spot beyond this season alongside skipper James Tavernier and key defender Connor Goldson.
For the rest of the Rangers squad, Boyd is not so sure for a number of reasons including contracts, careers coming to an end and a core just not good enough for the team. Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent are likely to depart while Allan McGregor, Scott Arfield, Ryan Jack, Filip Helander and Steven Davis are out of contract. Scott Wright and Jon McLaughlin are the two latest names reported to be heading for the exit door.
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Pundit Boyd knows more than the four mentioned will remain but he doesn't see many clubs lining up to make great offers for those not needed and it highlights what he describes as a 'shambolic and woeful' recruitment process over the past few years. He also confessed Jack Butland was keen on a move to Rangers 12 months ago as he questioned why the deal wasn't done then - with it believed he is edging closer to putting pen to paper as Beale's new No1 for next year.
Writing in the Scottish Sun, he said: "Right now, I’d say only FOUR players would be stick-ons for a place in Beale’s squad beyond the summer. James Tavernier, Nico Raskin, Connor Goldson and Todd Cantwell are those men.
"The rest? I am not sure about — for various reasons. Some are out of contract, some are getting to the end of their careers, and others are just not good enough. Then you have Malik Tillman, currently on loan from Bayern Munich. Would you pay £5million to get him on a permanent deal? Absolutely no chance.
"Rangers will obviously keep more than the four players I mentioned. You can’t lose that many in one window. The likes of Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield could still have a role to play, and they would also be a big help to the new signings coming in. They know the pressures and demands of playing for the club and that will be important.
"Others will be surplus to requirements, but they might be hard to shift. They will be on decent wages, and I don’t see many clubs lining up to make great offers to Gers for anyone.
"But that just highlights the shambolic recruitment that has taken place at Ibrox over the last few years. To say it has been woeful is an understatement."
He added: "Allan McGregor is still by far the best keeper at the club but if you’d told him he’d be Rangers’ No 1 at 41 he would have laughed at you. Yet there has been no forward planning for that position. It has been shambolic.
"The deal to sign Jack Butland might get done this summer but why didn’t it happen 12 months ago? I know he was keen to come.
"The time for Gers to progress and kick on was in the summer of 2021 after winning the league. Instead, they went the opposite way — and that is down to poor recruitment."
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