Michael Beale lifts lid on Rangers' transfers, player he met who wasn't good fit, potential exits and going 'hell for leather' for Europe

The Rangers Training Centre in Milngavie was a hub of activity earlier in the week as the club unveiled some of its new signings to the media.

The business is in keeping with Rangers’ summer as a whole. Nobody has stopped working during this period. Manager Michael Beale promised a radical overhaul of his playing squad and has kept true to his word. Six fresh faces have been added to the group: goalkeeper Jack Butland, defender Dujon Sterling, midfielder Kieran Dowell and a trio of attackers in Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima and Cyriel Dessers. Beale had a short family break but that was the only punctuation of the past few months. The 42-year-old is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to Champions League qualification and a Premiership title tilt.

Beale knows Rangers can’t start this season anything but ready. With Celtic changing managers and losing one of their key players in Jota, any dip in the champions’ standards in a period of semi-transition needs to be seized upon. But what is of critical importance is the Champions League qualifiers, which begin the midweek of August 8/9. The club made the group stages last season and while there is guaranteed Europa League football should that bid falter, the monetary benefits of dining at football’s top table do not need spelled out to the manager.

“We want it to be Champions League football,” Beale said. “We know we’ve to play two tough ties to actually get in there, hence why I am so pleased with the speed of getting some players in to give the team time to come together.

Rangers manager Michael Beale says the club are going 'hell for leather' to reach the Champions League.

“It’s a big part of this club. And there’s a disappointment on last year [where the club was skittled by Liverpool, Ajax and Napoli in the group phase]. You can imagine when the draw was made against PSV it was a difficult tie. It was a hugely impressive victory over two legs to get into the Champions League and that’s been lost.

“So we need to make up for that, for sure. Our record in Europe in the last five years has, in general, been excellent. We’ve beaten some big, big teams at Ibrox and away. Dortmund, Leipzig, Porto, Benfica, Feyenoord, we’ve played against some really top teams.

“And really grown when you think of the journey from 2018. So it’s a part of this club that’s exciting for the players coming in and me and the staff, we need to be at it in all competitions this year. That’s why we are building the squad, trying to build two teams in the building that can play.”

Beale has experience of previous campaigns as part of Steven Gerrard’s management team when it comes to navigating tricky qualifiers, from Skhupi to Galatasaray. Yet the stakes are higher this time. “We’re going hell for leather to get in the Champions League,” admitted Beale. “If we get in and we do well, hopefully getting into Pot 3, that gives you a different thing altogether. If we don’t, then we go into a competition that we love, the Europa League. But the aim is to get into the Champions League and be in Europe after Christmas.”

Forward Abdallah Sima, left, and Sam Lammers, right, have been added to the Rangers squad in a huge overhaul.

Getting his squad together as early as possible gives Beale a fighting chance. “If you ask any manager they will always say they are one player away from having a full pack,” smiled Beale when asked if Rangers are in as good a place as possible with recruitment. “We are definitely ahead of schedule and I’m delighted with the work we have done.

“It has been a huge effort from a lot of people. A lot of the time you don't see what goes into a transfer. It is not just about me going to meet the player – that is the nice bit. Not every club wants to move as fast as you. Some clubs in some countries realise the window runs until the end of August. We want players in for the start of pre-season so we have done really well in the negotiation part, which is down to James Bisgrove [chief executive]. My part comes before that when I meet the player and his family. You would be surprised how early I went to see certain players.

Beale admits that not every player he meets cuts the Ibrox mustard. “There was only one player I met who I felt was not a good fit,” he revealed. “He was a very good player but not a good fit. You get in a room and you get a feeling.”

While so much talk has been about the entrance door at Rangers, there will be departures too. Beale has his squad over in Germany on a pre-season camp and says it is inevitable that some will depart. “I think that’s natural,” he said on the prospect of sales, with attacking midfielders Scott Wright and Ianis Hagi mooted for transfers. “We’ve front-loaded a little bit. If you heard me say previously that I want a tighter squad this season.

Beale admits some players will leave, with speculation surrounding the future of Ianis Hagi.

“In terms of the recruitment, it was easier to do some ins because some of the players were out of contract at their previous clubs. In terms of the outs, a lot of people say it’s still early in the window. There will be some outs naturally when we started getting to the nitty gritty when we’ve got all the internationals back in Germany and we start practicing.

“I think people will realise they’re going to have to really fight and it may be natural that one or two feel there are better options for them elsewhere. We are open to that. The key, core players who were playing in the last few games at the end of the season who played so well are here. The additions that come on top of that make us stronger. It would be fair to say that there will be one or two outgoings.”