FOOTBALL at its highest levels is increasingly interconnected, with "strategic partnerships" and mutual ownership being thrust into the general football lexicon in the past few years.
Though there is no City Group or Red Bull club in Scotland, that doesn't mean we have not been affected by football's technocratic globalisation.
In the past 12 months, both Hibs and Dundee United have entered strategic partnerships with clubs from down south, namely Brighton and Fulham, with promises of coaching and academy-wide exchanges, shared recruitment material and increased likelihood of a few youngsters coming north of the border on loan.
Brexit and a whole host of other external factors have made these partnerships increasingly valuable to British clubs, more so in England than Scotland, due to the more stringent work permit rules; regardless, Scottish teams do have lots to gain on either side these affiliate partnerships.
Rangers operate on the peripheries of the elite, and as such, any collaboration in which the Light Blues are the "small fish "may be awkward and see considerable push-back from the fans, understandable given the often understated size of the club outside of Scotland.
Rangers are currently engaged in three "club partnerships": Hamburg, Orange County, and Bengaluru FC. The club's marketing and finance department undoubtedly catalysed the latter two whilst the first was motivated by the natural and longstanding close relations between the two sets of fans, which is fine.
Still, we should all be clear in regards to our expectations. This article will detail three distinct proposals for potential club partnerships that are purely motivated by maximising value in regards to player development and recruitment that Rangers should pursue, of course, just in my opinion.
The primary considerations include the club's ability to develop youth players, its existing recruitment framework and success, and finally, the level of competition.
AS Trencin, Slovakia
Slovakia is seldom seen as an avenue that those at the top should attend to, however, in the past few years, several players who have garnered substantial transfer fees have passed through AS Trencin.
The level of the Slovakian league is slightly lower than what we have in the Premiership but is considerably better than the Championship and as such would provide the optimal goldilocks situation for many of our more developed and accomplished youngsters.
Furthermore, Trencin has enjoyed several European adventures over the past decades, featuring in six qualifying campaigns, no doubt an invaluable experience that could potentially be afforded to some of our youngsters. The golden boy of Trencin’s academy is Martin Skrtel who received his footballing education at this specific Slovakian institution, a satisfactory co-sign if there ever was one.
More impressive than their youth development is their youth recruitment. Within the past decade, Trencin has mastered the art of buying low and selling high in some of football’s more obscure markets, with successes of note being Leon Bailey, Wesley, Moses Simon, and Simon Kalu with that quartet earning Trencin over £12m. This is in large part due to the relaxed registration and works permit rules in Slovakia which could and should be exploited by Rangers, and the extensive reach of their recruitment team, with the club taking particular interest domestically in Slovakia, and abroad in the form of Nigeria and the Netherlands.
Trencin satisfies my impromptu criteria, offering a decent level of competition for Rangers to send players to as well as an incredibly successful recruitment and development program that the Ibrox side could get exclusive purchase options on.
Lokomotiva Zagreb, Croatia
Lokomotiva offers a very similar proposition to Trencin but with a far more productive youth academy, a higher competition level, and a less forward-thinking recruitment department. The HNL may be a step too far to send some of Rangers' youth products as if they cannot play in the Premiership, it's unlikely they stand any chance of getting game time in Croatia's top division. Though, unlike the Trencin option, Lokomotiva is likely an attractive enough destination for Giovanni van Bronckhortst's men to unload some of the club's deadwood upon, albeit for a fee.
Regardless, this proposal would be far more based on offering Lokomotiva's best youngsters the first step into the elite and European level. If formalised, it would stop Dinamo from pillaging Lokomotiva, which they all often do.
Lokomotiva's record of youth development is second-to-none with the likes of Roko Simic, Ivo Grbic, Luka Ivanisevic, Lovro Majer, Marcelo Brozovic and Marko Pjaca. Rangers fans are all too familiar with the realities of hitting and missing out on top Croatian talent with the successes Borna Barisic and Nikica Jelavic offset by the what-ifs surrounding Lovro Majer and Roko Simic.
If Rangers were to sign a partnership with one of Croatia's more productive but underappreciated clubs, they could be laughing all the way to the bank. This would likely be a harder sell than Trencin given the fact that Lokomotiva, albeit not on Rangers' level, has European ambitions and repeatedly learnt their lesson regarding selling talent for far too little, but that shouldn't stop the clubs from beginning a dialogue.
Generation Foot, Senegal
Though Senegal's Generation Foot is the named example, this entry could be any of many sub-Saharan clubs with a storied history of producing talent, think Diambars FC, 1 de Agosto FC, or ASEC Mimosas.
Generally, this is a bourgeoning strategy Rangers should capitalise on before it's too late, which will undoubtedly be in just a few years considering the contemporary expansion into Africa. Clubs of all standing in France's Ligue 1 and 2 have reaped the benefits of an aggressive African-based recruitment strategy; there is no reason Rangers couldn't do the same.
We've already seen Dundee Utd venture into Ghana to sign Matthew Cudjoe. Generation Foot ticks the box regarding youth development, with much of Senegal's national team passing through the club's doors at one point in their career. Sadio Mane, Ismalia Sarr, Pappis Cisse, and Diarfa Sakho are perhaps the best examples of the production line, as all traded Dakar for the Premier League, albeit through differing routes.
Generation Foot also often compete within the CAF Champions League, a perfect breeding ground and litmus test for Rangers scouts and analysts. This would likely be a one-sided agreement in a player capacity as it's doubtful Rangers would send any players on loan to Senegal, though the club would financially through transfer fees, coach exchanges, and infrastructure development.
If Rangers do venture down south, we shouldn't expect immediate returns of world-class youngsters; any potential partnership would likely take a few years to materialise. Once a credible pipeline has been established, the fruits of labour will be plentiful.
Take a look at FC Nordsjaelland, FC Metz, or RB Salzburg and the uncompromising success accompanying their expansion into African football, and tell me you don't want that at Ibrox.
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