Rangers transfer news: Giovanni van Bronckhorst expects 'quality squad' at end of window
Giovanni van Bronckhorst does not need to sell players in January; several Rangers stars have been linked with moves away from the club; the manager says plans are in place if anyone leaves; Ryan Jack and Kemar Roofe will miss the next few games
Tuesday 14 December 2021 22:40, UK
Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst is already making plans for the January transfer window and expects to emerge from it with a "quality squad".
The new Ibrox boss has been told he is under no obligation to sell players in the transfer window despite a £23.5m loss, although Ianis Hagi, Joe Aribo, Ryan Kent, Borna Barisic and Connor Goldson have been linked with moves down south.
"We have quite a lot of meetings with (sporting director) Ross Wilson so we know what we want to do [and] in which areas we have to be prepared if something happens," Van Bronckhorst said.
"It's always good to have the squad you want at the end of the window, it's never good when you are a less squad than when you came in.
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"The objective for us is when the transfer window ends we should have a quality squad as well."
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Rangers take on struggling St Johnstone on Wednesday night, with Ryan Jack and Kemar Roofe both still absent.
Jack was expected to feature against Lyon in last week's Europa League clash but was missing from the squad entirely with Van Bronckhorst admitting there had been a small setback in his recovery from injury.
He has not started a game since February while Roofe was ruled out for the visit to Hearts on Sunday.
Both will be missing for games in December with Jack not expected to return until after the January shutdown.
Van Bronckhorst said: "Kemar has had a setback and will hopefully return before the winter break. Ryan, we hope to have him back fully fit after the winter break. No fresh injuries from the match on Sunday."
The manager is also excited to face Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League knockout play-off round in February.
Former Ibrox star Claudio Reyna's son Gio - an attacking midfielder with Dortmund - was named after the boss and he will come face to face with the 19-year-old American after the clubs were paired in Monday's draw.
He added: "For me, it is an exciting Europa League draw for the club, against a top side in Europe.
"A quality opponent and it is a hard draw, but we want these challenges in football to compete with the best. Gio (Reyna) sent a text to my son as they are about the same age, it was great to be drawn against Reyna.
"I've known him his full life and visited him a year and a half ago to watch a game. I am very good friends with Claudio and hope he can attend the games."
Rangers vs St Johnstone team news
Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst will select from the same group of players for the visit of St Johnstone that he had at his disposal for Sunday's win at Hearts.
Kemar Roofe and Ryan Jack have both suffered injury setbacks and are unlikely to be available before the winter break.
Leon Balogun (knock), Filip Helander (knee) and Nnamdi Ofoborh (heart issue) are also still sidelined.
St Johnstone will be without midfielder David Wotherspoon, who has just learned that his season is over after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
New signing Jacob Butterfield is poised to go straight into the team, with fellow midfielders Murray Davidson and Cammy MacPherson both out injured.
Stevie May is available after injury, but on-loan winger Glenn Middleton - who returned from his own recent lay-off against Aberdeen at the weekend - is ineligible to face his parent club.
Opta stats
- Rangers have lost just one of their last 24 league meetings with St Johnstone (W17 D6), and are unbeaten in 11 (W8 D3) since a 1-3 defeat in December 2017 under Graeme Murty.
- St Johnstone have failed to score in each of their last three league visits to Ibrox, going 283 minutes without a league goal at the ground since a Blair Alston penalty in a 5-1 defeat in September 2018.
- Rangers remain unbeaten in 27 home league games (W24 D3) since the start of last season, with their last league defeat at Ibrox coming in March 2020 to Hamilton (0-1).
- St Johnstone have lost three of their last four away league outings (W1), more than they had in their previous 12 on the road beforehand (W5 D5 L2).
- Joe Aribo has scored in both of his last two home league games; only once before has he scored in three straight league appearances at Ibrox for Rangers, doing so from August-November 2020.
