Why Rangers are set to use TransferRoom to aid recruitment - access to 1,750 players, speed dating, control

The Ibrox club are reported to be attending a virtual transfer summit with hundreds of clubs

Rangers will join some of Europe’s biggest names this week at a transfer conference as the Ibrox club make sure no stone is left unturned as they seek to make improvements to the squad and move closer to Celtic.

The TransferRoom summit will allow a representative from the club to connect with others across the continent.

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According to the Daily Record, Rangers will be joined by Ross County at the virtual event on Thursday.

Steven Gerrard and sporting director Ross Wilson will be looking to make improvements to the Rangers squad this summer. Picture: SNSSteven Gerrard and sporting director Ross Wilson will be looking to make improvements to the Rangers squad this summer. Picture: SNS
Steven Gerrard and sporting director Ross Wilson will be looking to make improvements to the Rangers squad this summer. Picture: SNS

It will provide clubs with the opportunity to get a steer as to how the transfer market will operate this summer and potentially an idea of how many deals are likely to be done.

Many European leagues have or are set to resume to conclude the 2019/20 season which could see the transfer window timings altered.

Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson raised the point in an interview with talkSPORT earlier this week.

He said: "The market is very unpredictable, for a start the transfer window isn't even open yet, it will open slightly later as we all know, it will probably extend slightly later as well but it can't go any longer than 12 weeks is my understanding from FIFA.

"But all the dates will change, we can see that the marketplace has changed, we had a deal in place with Genk for Ianis [Hagi] that changed because the world changed and everybody recognised that.

"What our job here is to make sure that we totally understand the market, we totally understand where all the opportunities are, but equally that we've got a clear plan at Rangers that we stick to and that's the plan that Steven and I talk about every day."

What is TransferRoom?

The company describes itself as “football's No.1 transfer marketplace”.

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TransferRoom is an online transfer platform founded in 2017 by Jonas Ankersen which allows clubs to subscribe and connect with teams across the world via the website and app.

There are currently 1,750 players ‘available’ to buy on the network, while it also allows clubs to promote players they are looking to offload to more than 500 clubs in 44 countries, including Manchester City, Benfica and Juventus.

Subscriptions to the TransferRoom are reported to cost between €5,000 and €15,000 a year.

It has aided more than 300 transfer deals to happen.

Recruitment by speed dating

On top of the app and website, events are held which allows representatives from clubs, whether it be chief executives, sporting director, head of recruitment or scouts to meet face-to-face with other clubs without an agent.

Ankersen has likened these summits to “speed dating” as he aims to “give the clubs a chance to take back control of the transfer market”.

“In today's transfer market, there is a lack of transparency and credible market information. Buying clubs have no credible information on which players are available,” he told Forbes.

“Most clubs have limited resources in their scouting department and therefore their market access is very limited. What happens when you only see a fraction of the players available? You end up paying too much.

“At the same time, selling clubs have no credible information on which player profiles buying clubs are looking for. For years football clubs’ market access has been restricted, but TransferRoom.com is changing this.

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“When selling a player, you want to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible, and when buying you want to be exposed to as many relevant options as possible.”

What clubs have said:

Graeme Mathie, Hibs’ sporting director, said: “TransferRoom helps to give clarity. You know what players are available, you know the decision makers at the club to help you move the deal forward and you can get an answer very quickly on whether something is achievable or not.”

David Weir, loan manager at Brighton & Hove Albion: “The summit itself has been very educational. It’s an opportunity to meet lots of people in a short period of time.”