Beale 'confident' Wilson exit won't affect summer

3 years ago 30

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Michael Beale is "confident" Rangers' summer transfer plans will not be disrupted by sporting director Ross Wilson's departure.

Wilson joined Nottingham Forest this week after more than three years in Glasgow.

Rangers, who host St Mirren on Saturday, have seven first-team players out of contract this summer, when Malik Tillman's loan from Bayern Munich ends.

"I want to move really quickly this summer," said Englishman Beale.

"We need to be aggressive, we need to be early in the window, we need to identify good players.

"I'm confident and I'm happy with where things are at the moment. In the short term, I'll oversee what happens here at the training ground day in, day out. I'm very close to recruitment staff anyway.

"A lot of our targets and the conversations are up and running, pre-season's planned. There's players that we're speaking to. A lot of the planning's been going on since November."

Wilson's exit follows that of Douglas Park's as chairman, with John Bennett assuming the latter role and Beale indicating it will be up to the board whether another sporting director will be appointed.

"We wish him well," Beale said of Wilson. "In and around the training ground he was a huge, positive figure. He's well liked around the club. He's a friend as well as a colleague.

"If the club deem fit that we should have another sporting director, then that's the good model for the club because it's a wide-reaching role here at Rangers.

"It's safeguarding the club. It's someone that oversees the department, one of those departments being the first team. It's what suits each club. There's no right and wrong. Our board and John Bennett now will take his take to assess everything and decide what comes next."

'Frustrating period' for Souttar

Meanwhile, John Souttar has revealed he made his Rangers debut with a stress fracture in his ankle.

The Scotland defender, 26, came off against Livingston on 30 July and did not feature again until March. He completed his first 90 minutes as a Rangers player in last weekend's 3-2 defeat by Celtic.

"It's been a tough start to my Rangers career," Souttar said. "It wasn't how I envisaged it. It was a frustrating period. I felt the pain before the Livi game and felt it during it and then we got it scanned afterwards.

"I'm back now and I'm feeling good. I'm just glad to be getting moments on the park."

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