Inside Rangers' recruitment strategy as Stewart Robertson outlines scouting set-up

It’s early days, far too early to properly assess the deals that have been made, but there is no doubt that, so far, some key signings have failed to spark. Of course, there is still plenty of time left in the season to make an impact. So soon after John Lundstram’s stunning turnaround, a player who took time to adjust before exploding to life, people will be wary of making a verdict in September after just seven league games. Equally, when significant sums have been spent on certain individuals, it's fair to question why they've had little in the way of game time.

Back in the summer, with Champions League qualification on the line, the club decided to move early in the market, aiming to ensure new players were involved in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s pre-season training as early as possible.

Having learned the lessons of Malmo the previous summer, it was seen as imperative that ducks were in a row when the big games came along, especially the all-important play-off round.

John Souttar, Antonio Colak, Tom Lawrence, Ben Davies, Rabbi Matondo, Malik Tillman and Ridvan Yilmaz arrived as the club looked to beef up the squad for the challenges ahead.

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Qualification for the group stage of Europe’s elite tournament was achieved by knocking out Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium and PSV of the Netherlands. Subsequently, an assumption developed that further signings would be delivered to strengthen the squad before the closure of the summer window. When that didn’t come to fruition, fans were left frustrated. But managing director Stewart Robertson insists there was no desire to move in the dying embers of the market, assessing the squad to be in solid shape from work done deliberately early.

“There wasn't any strong desire or need to bring someone in on deadline day,” he says. “We are conscious we have some good players to come back from injury. We made some strong signings. You have to be careful that you are not doing it for the sake of doing it. We've seen other teams in the past bringing someone in for the sake of it and the actual percentage of those deals that don't work is actually quite high. We had to be sure that if someone was going to come in they had to add quality, add value and be within the budget. “One of the things we also decided to do this year was to increase the wage bill. Not massively because we need to be careful and sensible in the way the club is going forward, but we appreciated that nudging it up a bit would give us a better chance of qualifying for the Champions League which, in the end, came through.”

With Yilmaz, Davies and Matondo making little first-team impact so far, some have begun to question the transfer model in place at Ibrox. Asking whether van Bronckhorst or sporting director Ross Wilson has the final say on signings. It’s a notion that Robertson insists is well wide of the mark.

“We wouldn't sign someone if Gio said he didn't want them because you put yourself in a very difficult position if you do that,” he says firmly. “You'd have a player the manager doesn't want. You don't need to create situations that can cause disharmony. You need to make it as smooth as possible and take away as many excuses for things not working as possible.”

Wilson and van Bronckhorst are understood to have a good relationship and the Dutch manager is comfortable working within the sporting director model employed by the club. The role is very much part of the Dutch football DNA so there is none of the cultural baggage that a more traditional British boss might bring to the table, unsure of where responsibilities lie.

Van Bronckhorst is said to be flexible about transfer options once the type of player he wants to bring in has been established, a change from the previous manager Steven Gerrard, who sometimes had a more fixed position on individuals. Connor Goldson, Jack Simpson and John Lundstram are three examples of men identified as key personal targets for recruitment.

So how does the system actually operate?

“There's a lot of work that goes into who we sign,” Robertson states. “There's a lot of work in the background in terms of scouting resources, analysis resources, the meetings that are held to view the reports and clips of the players. That's the full football department that is involved including Ross and Giovanni. “There is a list of players by position, they are ranked by choice and then you ask can you get him, is he affordable, does he want to come to Scotland? You go through that process and get number one then you make sure the manager is happy with it and go for it.”

While everyone knows about the roles of the manager and sporting director, behind the scenes at Ibrox there has also been a significant summer turnover in key recruitment staff.

Head of scouting Andy Scoulding left for Spurs after five years while domestic market scout Robert Clarkson has moved on to the FA. Both were appointed by former director of football Mark Allen and have been involved right up until and including this summer’s deals.

John Park, whose keynote deal during his spell at Celtic was the signing of then-unknown Virgil van Dijk, is now at the forefront of the department as the club looks to maximise its limited transfer budgets. With 19 scouts in place across Europe, the feeling within the club is that the scouting department has never been in better shape for the future. And it’s not just eyes on players. There’s, as you might expect, significant work to do for data analysts who comb the numbers and establish exactly what the club are bringing in with any potential signings.

Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and all the investment in scouting a club can muster means nothing if there’s not an infrastructure to ensure the players are happy and settled. Rangers have a player liaison executive in Katie Lamont who deals with all the finer points of settling a new star as quickly as possible. And yet, even once this care and attention to detail are executed, there can still be issues.

"Some players settle a lot quicker than others,” Robertson admits. “Some have aspects of their personal lives that make it easier. Do they have a partner with them? Do they have to leave family at home? What age are they? Do they speak English? Can we get them settled into a flat quickly? There's a lot of work that goes into make that side of things work. Ultimately what makes them a success is what they do on the pitch. It has to be. As we know, not all players are successful. It's a fact of life. Not all investments work. “We have seen it with players who have taken a bit of time, slower burn, and have been fantastic Rangers players. And we have had others where it just hasn't worked for them. For whatever reason, it just doesn't work, they don't make appearances and they don't set the heather alight when they get on the pitch. And those players tend to move on. That's the nature of football, it's quite a brutal sport.”

Two players who definitely did settle into life at Rangers are now coming to the end of their contracts in Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent. While both, for different reasons, have struggled this season, they remain amongst the most important and valuable members of the squad.

Both can begin talks with potential suitors about a free transfer on January 1st, meaning players whose value could be conservatively placed at £30m in a normal scenario would walk through the exit door for nothing.

Robertson insists discussions are continuing behind the scenes and cites Goldson as an example of how agreements can go right to the wire to make sure both parties are fully satisfied with the deal on the table. “With Alfredo and Ryan, those discussions are happening," he says. "The guys have got until the end of May in their existing contracts. We will try to engage with players when we want them to extend. Some will want to take time because it's a big decision for them. Connor signed for us once again in the summer and it was a big move for Connor. He's from the Midlands, he's got a young family, his support network is down there. I understand why players have multiple reasons why they may not want to extend their contract at the end of the day.”

And Robertson also points out Rangers might also make hay from the running down of transfers, just as they may also suffer from departures.

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“We've also benefited from players running down their contracts,” he adds. “This isn't a one-way street. We were able to sign Joe Aribo because he ran down his contract. We were able to sign Calvin Bassey because he ran down his contract. Two very important players for us last season. It can work for you and against you.”

One final aspect of recruitment doesn’t involve the signing of players at all but a larger strategy to make space for those coming out of the academy.

Nathan Patterson stands as the ultimate example of creating a pathway for youngsters that gives both player and club immense benefits. Two first-team players were moved on to accommodate the now Everton full-back's development and such decisions will continue to be made.

Leon King, Charlie McCann and Alex Lowry are but three who are already part of the long-term squad planning process. And Robertson insists the introduction of self-reared talent is crucial to the plans of the club.

“We are looking at the transfer of Nathan, that pathway was made for him in terms of some players' contracts not being extended in terms of Jon Flanagan and Matt Polster because we knew he'd come through,” Robertson says.

"There is planning in place for other academy players like Leon King, Charlie McCann and Alex Lowry. There are others. We want to be a club that brings quality through from our academy."