Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh has announced a £16m cash injection via a new share issue to support summer transfers and other club needs. The club will also raise adult season ticket prices next season by 6.5 per cent.
Cavenagh said the club’s ambitions are “sustained winning and winning sustainably” and, after 10 months at the club, believes the path to those goals is clearer. He said the club must increase overall resources and shift as many as possible to the men’s first team, adding: “We don’t believe this is the time to decrease the player and football budget; in fact, we think the opposite.” The new capital brings total investment in the last year to £36m. He stressed supporters are not being asked to do “all the heavy lifting”.
On potential signings, Sky Sports News understands Rangers want to retain Tottenham loanee Mikey Moore. The 18-year-old has scored six league goals and provided two assists this season and said after his man-of-the-match display against Aberdeen: “If it’s right for me next year, then I’d love to stay here.” Any move would require Spurs’ approval. Manager Danny Röhl is expected to add to his squad over the summer, though transfer activity is not expected to match last year’s window, which saw more than 25 players come and go.
Cavenagh confirmed there are no plans to replace former sporting director Kevin Thelwell. Jim Gillespie joined as CEO earlier this month, and former Liverpool and Blackburn player Stig Inge Bjornebye, brought in as a football consultant in December, is expected to remain beyond the summer. Cavenagh said the executive team has been reconstituted, with Fraser Thornton now an executive director, and that the club intends to keep a smaller, nimbler leadership group: “We want an executive team willing to get its fingernails dirty. If there is a hole to be dug, we want people fighting over shovels. We want fewer consulting firms and less bureaucracy.”
He also emphasised reconnecting with supporters and former players and staff, saying the club wants fans to “see themselves in the club” and that links to the club’s past should be strengthened, both informally and formally.
On crowd trouble, Cavenagh addressed the clash between fans at this month’s Scottish Cup Old Firm tie at Ibrox and reiterated the club’s support for the independent review commissioned by the Scottish FA. Rangers say they denounce the disorder, property damage and those who “denigrated the 66 souls lost in the Ibrox disaster.” Sky Sports News understands talks have taken place with Police Scotland to ensure away fans can attend the season’s final league Old Firm meeting.
Rangers have proposed a meeting of all Scottish Premiership clubs to discuss refereeing standards and VAR. That meeting could take place in the coming weeks, with clubs keen to work together. Sky Sports News understands Rangers would consider contributing more funds to support full-time referees or additional camera coverage at non-televised games, but might withdraw funding if they deem the technology isn’t performing to required standards.