Rangers icon Brian Laudrup reckons sales of Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo have had a POSITIVE impact

RANGERS hero Brian Laudrup insists that the loss of Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo has in fact given his old club a sharper edge across the squad.
The Danish legend admits the prospect of the Ibrox club losing the key pair six months ago would've been unimaginable - but he believes that the fees received for the duo has now given his side an exciting edge going forward.
Laudrup reckons that Rangers' recruitment as a result has given the Ibrox side better depth and quality as a result giving them an extra edge in the title race.
He told the Daily Mail: "If you split last season into two halves, there was an argument for Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey being the two best players at Rangers.
"At times, Aribo was almost unplayable prior to Christmas.
"Bassey then showed astonishing development in the second half of the campaign to make him one of the most sought-after young defenders in Europe.
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"A couple of months back, I would have winced at the prospect of both departing Ibrox this summer.
"But it's happened. And the result is actually exciting. Because the huge money earned from their sales holds the key to this season's Premiership title race.
"I like the look of how Rangers have spent so far. There's a tremendous mix within the seven signings made — a bit of everything, really.
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"I feel it's going to be an incredibly tight contest with Celtic this season.
"They are the settled side and the reigning champions. But if Giovanni van Bronckhorst can get his new additions to gel as quickly as possible, I think Rangers now have a greater overall depth of quality than they did last season — even without Aribo and Bassey.
"That might just be enough to edge things in their favour over the course of a truly fascinating campaign.
"It's easy to see Rangers were well prepared for this summer's events. They might not have expected to sell Bassey for so much, but they knew clubs would come for him.
"Since the sale of Nathan Patterson in January, my old club have done extremely well in the market.
"With Aribo and Bassey, we are talking about players signed under Steven Gerrard for very little outlay up front. After two or three years, they are going for £10m and more than £20m."
Laudrup reckons the Gers have invested the money well - and believes they've given themselves a more unpredictable looking attacking force as a result.
Antonio Colak, Rabbi Matondo, Tom Lawrence and Malik Tillman have ALL arrived this transfer window.
He added: "Against tight defences in Scotland, you need several players capable of producing something unexpected In Matondo, Tom Lawrence and Malik Tillman, I feel Rangers have that now.
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"They all have to prove it, of course, and prove it quickly. That's just part and parcel of being at Ibrox."
The Light Blues get their Premiership campaign underway on Saturday, travelling to Livingston in the season's curtain raiser in West Lothian.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page