Glasgow Rangers have signed seven players so far this summer as Michael Beale looks to rejuvenate a squad that finished 2022/23 empty-handed.
With the majority of his business done, the onus will be on the 42-year-old to move on a few players to free up the wage budget and raise some funds, however one such move may turn into a serious blunder…
Is Robby McCrorie leaving Rangers?
According to The Scottish Sun, McCrorie looks set to leave Ibrox this summer after having talks with Beale over his future.
The manager now appears to be resigned to losing the 25-year-old as he is looking to secure first-team football elsewhere and despite Beale admiring his ability, it now seems like he won't stand in his way regarding a potential exit.
The Gers signed former Crystal Palace goalkeeper Jack Butland during the summer and with the nine-cap England international set to begin the season as the number one choice between the posts, McCrorie isn’t prepared to revert to a backup option having featured regularly for the club during the final part of the 2022/23 season.
Who is leaving Rangers?
Antonio Colak appears to be leaving the Light Blues after only one season, moving to Parma in a £2.5m deal while Fashion Sakala is also close to a move, with an unnamed Saudi club interested in signing him for a fee believed to be around £4m as Beale aims to recoup some cash for further signings.
Despite their obvious quality in front of goal, scoring 30 goals between them last term, the arrivals of Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima and Cyriel Dessers should be more than enough to offset their departures.
It could be a blunder to let McCrorie leave on the other hand, and it could turn out to be a similar situation to that of Cedric Itten, who has gone on to impress elsewhere following an exit from Ibrox.
The Swiss international struggled during his two seasons at the Gers, netting just eight times across 49 matches and was sold by Giovanni van Bronckhorst last summer to BSC Young Boys for £1.5m which was seen as good business at the time.
He has since shown Gers supporters exactly what they missed, however, scoring 23 goals and grabbing 12 assists as the Swiss outfit won the domestic double last term, and although he wouldn’t have been a regular starter under Beale, there is no doubt he could have contributed with a few goals.
McCrorie could be another who leaves Ibrox and shines elsewhere, especially if his performances for the Light Blues are anything to go by. The Scot has made only six starts for Rangers during his time at the club, yet he has kept five clean sheets during those matches, conceding just one goal.
The £5.7k-per-week ace was the only ‘keeper for the Gers to keep a clean sheet against Celtic last term, in their 3-0 victory at Ibrox in May and looked to have a chance at taking the number one jersey from the departing Allan McGregor ahead of 2023/24.
Steven Gerrard dubbed the departing gem and his brother Ross as “model professionals” back in 2020 and although it would be a shame to see him leave the club, he is far too good to be warming the bench for the foreseeable future.
Hopefully, the decision doesn’t come back to haunt Beale – as it perhaps has with regard to Itten.