Michael Beale won't be spooked in to Rangers transfer action just because Celtic are doing big business across the city.
That is the stern view of former Ibrox captain Barry Ferguson who believes the new Light Blues boss must learn from past mistakes in recruitment in Glasgow when mounting a title challenge in the new year. On the other side of the city, Ange Postecoglou's men are acquiring new talent with two signings already secured but Beale admitted he still needs to assess his squad ahead of the window.
And pundit Ferguson is urging Rangers' hiring department must learn from the mistakes of signing flops like Aaron Ramsey and Amad Diallo. Beale is being told why 'quality' matters and that particular areas of the Ibrox squad need bolstered to keep pace with the rest of the pack.
He said in his Record Sport column: "I heard his interview the other day when he talked about his plans for the January window and I really liked what he was saying.
"He’s not interested in bringing in stocking fillers or signing new faces just for the sake of it. He’s not going to be spooked into making signings just because Celtic have been busy bringing in reinforcements across the city. He will only do business if he truly believes he can strengthen his starting XI and that’s exactly the way he should be thinking because Rangers don’t need more bodies. What they need is more quality.
"Beale doesn’t need me to tell him what’s required. He’s lacking in the forward areas and could probably do with a new centre forward and a productive, reliable wide man. With Alfredo Morelos running down his contract and still no sign of Kemar Roofe climbing off the treatment table, the manager badly needs to beef up his attacking options for the rest of the campaign.
"I’m also sure he’ll be looking at strengthening in other areas of the pitch because it’s clear that Rangers need an injection of fresh talent. But January is a notoriously tough window so it’s reassuring to hear Beale say that he won’t be wasting money on players who aren’t up to the job.
"We all saw what happened last January when Rangers rushed through late deals for Aaron Ramsey and Amad Diallo at the eleventh hour. These deadline day moves may have appeased some frustrated supporters but, to be brutally honest, neither of them made the slightest bit of difference where it really matters, on the pitch. It seems to me as if Beale won’t be pushed into doing something similar this time around. He’ll stay calm and think clearly."
READ NEXT:
- Kris Boyd in 'nowhere near' Rangers standard verdict despite Aberdeen rescue mission at Pittodrie
- Rangers boss Michael Beale in 'that's what Scotty does' assessment as he praises Pittodrie hero
- Rangers player ratings vs Aberdeen as Scott Arfield keeps title hopes alive in dramatic fashion
- Aberdeen 2 Rangers 3 as supersub Scott Arfield nets twice in added time - 3 things we learned