Michael Beale insists he’s building a Rangers squad fit for the Champions League as he looks to secure a quick-fire return to European football’s top table.
The Ibrox boss knows serious business needs to be done in the summer window and he wants his side to be as close to the finished article as possible by the time the qualifiers come around in August. Beale admits the current squad would need to “outperform itself” if it is to secure the double aim of silverware and a crack at Europe’s elite in the next year.
And after Ross Wilson’s exit as sporting director last week, Beale accepts it is up to him to head up the transfer push in the coming months backed by his team of recruitment experts and scouts. The Englishman had to watch this season’s Champions League bid unravel from afar with six defeats from six group games leading to Gio van Bronckhorst’s exit and his own return.
But that’s not put him off targeting another crack at Europe’s top competition as he prepares to dive into the summer window with a number of deals just waiting to be executed. And he reckons it’s a crucial few months as the club look to kick on.
Beale said: “It’s huge. We can see we have the foundations but it’s a big summer because there are some prominent players out of contact, some big players who have been fantastic for the club over the last few years and performed well.
“But it’s natural we need to bring some freshness in. I think the fans want to see some fresh faces and energy as well. You can see how they’ve taken to the two new signings.
“It’s important as well that I feel energised about the squad we’ve got – that I think we can achieve the targets ultimately we are setting ourselves. We’re setting targets to win things and go and play in the Champions League again.
“It’s fair to say the current squad might have to outperform itself to do that. So it needs help.”
As assistant to Steven Gerrard in his last stint at Ibrox, Beale watched the club move quickly to nail down their new signings long before the European qualifiers began. That gave them a head start in three successive Europa League journeys into the group stages.
Asked if he wanted his squad to be the finished article by the time the Champions League qualifiers come round in August, Beale said: “I’m going to push for it. The first international break comes around September 3 or 4 and the window obviously shuts a couple of days before.
“By then you’ve played five league games and possibly two or four European games. We know the start of our season is very important. It always has been.
“I remember when we were qualifying against Ufa, then Legia Warsaw, then Galatasaray. Last year it was PSV. Those moments are pivotal in the season because they set up the rest of the season. We have to get the squad we want in place by then.
“I want the squad in place as early as possible. We return to pre-season the last couple of days of June and I expect to see some new faces returning that day.”
