As fans of the Rangers wonder why their club hasn’t splashed out in the recent summer transfer window despite securing Champions League football, reaching the Europa League final last season and getting a big transfer fee for Calvin Bassey, they suffered 4-0 defeat at the hands of Celtic and now trail the champions of Scotland by five points in the Premiership.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side have brought in a few players this summer for sure, but overall, their squad might be weaker than it was the last time around.
There could be more worries than just on the pitch for the Rangers at the moment as well, as they could end up running into financial trouble with UEFA in the future, which might explain their lack of spending this summer.
The Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) First Chamber recently announced a number of decisions surrounding clubs who took part in European club competitions in the 2021/22 season. And as reported by UEFA’s official website:
"Finally, the CFCB First Chamber also observed that another 19 clubs that took part in the 2021/22 UEFA club competitions, namely Borussia Dortmund (GER), Chelsea FC (ENG), FC Barcelona (ESP), FC Basel 1893 (SUI), 1.FC Union Berlin (GER), Fenerbahçe SK (TUR), Feyenoord (NED), Leicester City FC (ENG), Manchester City FC (ENG), Olympique Lyonnais (FRA), Rangers (SCO), Real Betis Balompié (ESP), Royal Antwerp FC (BEL), Sevilla FC (ESP), SS Lazio (ITA), SSC Napoli (ITA), Trabzonspor AŞ (TUR), VFL Wolfsburg (GER) and West Ham United FC (ENG), were able to technically fulfil the break-even requirement thanks to the application of the COVID-19 emergency measures and/or because they benefited from historical positive break-even results (T-3 and T-4).The CFCB First Chamber reminded these clubs that as from financial year 2023 these exceptional COVID deductions and consideration of historical financial results will no longer be possible. These clubs were further asked for additional financial information and will be monitored closely in the upcoming period. The goal of course is that the clubs’ overall financial situation is in compliance with the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Sustainability Regulations – Edition 2022 in coming years."
Rangers could get into financial trouble with UEFA in the future while Celtic have no such worries
Celtic are not one of the clubs listed nor are they subject to any additional monitoring like their Glasgow rivals will be.
As the recent transfer window closed, Celtic fans were delighted at the signings that the Hoops made and the late addition of a defensive midfielder in the form of Oliver Abildgaard, albeit on loan, to their very competitive squad. The difference in squad depth now and last season is night and day.
Rangers fans on the other hand were left disappointed by their team’s transfer activity. Most had been expecting a significant marquee signing or two after their European exploits and Champions League qualification, but it was not to be.
The recent Glasgow Derby has highlighted the difference between the two squads now in terms of strength, depth and of course quality.