Graeme Souness blueprint to catch Celtic pitched to Rangers takeover kings in different guise despite UEFA veto power
The Ibrox takeover is inching closer with the fans hoping their club can close the gap on the Hoops long-term
Alan Hutton has told the incoming US consortium that recruitment will be key in catching Celtic after the Rangers takeover is complete.
It comes after Ibrox icon Graeme Souness made it clear how much he thinks should be spent to dethrone the Hoops - insisting that Gers need to splash £50million on up to four quality additions to close the gap on Brendan Rodgers' side.
The comments came before Record Sport revealed American tycoon Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises were looking to complete a Rangers takeover.
The 71-year-old insisted: “Right now, there is gap between Rangers and Celtic, but it’s not insurmountable.
"Three or four quality signings could make the difference, but Rangers don’t have the money right now. If they were to spend £50million, it’d be nip and tuck between the two of them."
Former Light Blues' defender Hutton pitched the market moves slightly differently as he told the incoming owners that standards must skyrocket to end Celtic's dominance.
Speaking to Betway, he said: "The standard has to rise. I’m not trying to get at the players, but they need to be able to have that focus, that mentality to go out and churn out performances week in, week out, to have the mentality you need to go and compete with them (Celtic).
"Celtic have been doing this for a long period of time. They’ve been selling players at the right time, bringing in a lot of money to the club and then reinvesting.
"It works really well, it’s something that’s going to take Rangers a number of years to get to, but ultimately, the standard has to go up.
"The squad standard has to go up, and it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take time, so the new owners, whoever the new manager is going to be, everybody behind the scenes is going to have to get together.
"Recruitment is going to be key, they have to get that right. If they don’t, then they’ll be struggling, but if they do, then they can compete."
Despite the prospect of a summer cash influx inching closer, UEFA rules would limit any market movement.
While Souness and Hutton suggest that throwing money around Ibrox could solve the issues, European football's governing body caps spending on football operations at 70 per cent of the club’s annual income.
The rules were introduced in June 2023 in a bid to slashing overspending by clubs and specifically names the outlay on “player and coach wages, transfers and agent fees" must be under the threshold.
Once a deal gets over the line, patience may be the key for the supporters before recruitment translates to results to catching Celtic.
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