When Rangers broke their club transfer record and forked out just over £4million to sign Paul Gascoigne from Lazio 30 years ago, it was a box-office moment that made headlines far beyond the boundaries of Scotland.
A footballer with genuinely global appeal, Gascoigne arrived in Glasgow as a flawed genius whose talents illuminated everything around Rangers during that nine-in-a-row era in the ’90s.
When he emerged from the main doors outside the front of Ibrox and greeted the hordes of fans who had gathered to cheer his arrival, the roar was akin to him scoring the winner in an Old Firm derby.
With all sorts of Gascoigne goals and highlights being shared on social media over recent days to mark the 30th anniversary of his signing, every Rangers fan will have their own personal favourite.
But, in the here and now, the club find themselves shopping in a very different market. In his efforts to rebuild the squad, going out and spending top dollar on an England international isn’t an option for Russell Martin.
Instead, the new Rangers manager has been plundering the English lower leagues, hoping to change the technical proficiency, as well as the personality, of the squad he inherited.
Jamie Vardy is available on a free transfer after his contract expired at Leicester City
Vardy, pictured with his family after his final match at Leicester, is now 38 but could still be an option for Rangers
Cyriel Dessers has been linked with a move away from Ibrox having scored over 50 goals in his two seasons there
After back-to-back promotions from the Championship with Southampton and Leeds United over the past two seasons, Joe Rothwell should bring experience and composure to the heart of midfield.
Manny Fernandez is a confident and physically imposing young centre-back with decent pace. Arriving from Peterborough for around £2.5m plus add-ons, Martin has high hopes for the 23-year-old.
A £3.5m recruit from Luton Town in League One, Norwegian international midfielder Thelo Aasgaard should bring goals and creativity to the central area of the pitch for Rangers.
Aasgaard can also operate from the left side of the front three and, after securing his signature last week, it’s clear that Martin rates him very highly.
How quickly these players can be integrated into the squad with a view to the Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos in a fortnight will be key.
Because there’s no doubt that, right now, this Rangers squad still looks undercooked and ill-equipped to dine at the top table of European football.
Much could yet happen over the next two weeks. Martin would still like to add another two or three players at the very least, potentially more if others were to leave.
But the key problem Rangers have yet to solve is the identity of who their new striker will be. Until they sort that out, it’s hard to see how they progress in Europe or make a challenge to Celtic on the domestic front.
Having scored in excess of 50 goals over the past two seasons, Cyriel Dessers could well be retained as a squad player unless any suitors meet Rangers’ £6m valuation.
Hamza Igamane is likely to leave amid strong interest from clubs in France, ensuring that another £15m is pumped into the Rangers coffers. Plainly, Martin will need every penny of that and more to be reinvested.
It was hoped that the arrival of a new manager may offer Danilo a fresh start and a chance to nail down the jersey, but he was not remotely impressive in the 2-2 draw with Club Brugge last weekend.
If Rangers can find a way of offloading the Brazilian before the new season starts, they would be wise to cut their losses and move on.
Which brings us to Jamie Vardy and the possibility of him arriving at Ibrox on a free transfer. When asked about Vardy last weekend, Martin did not shoot it down. Far from it, indeed.
Privately, Rangers are not denying they have an interest in the former Leicester City star and Premier League winner.
Vardy looked set for a move to Genoa in Italy until boss Patrick Vieira pulled the plug last weekend, reigniting the links to Rangers.
The veteran forward is also on the radar of Manchester United and has various other options on the table from clubs in England.
But if there is a possibility of bringing Vardy to Ibrox, even for a year or two, it is definitely a deal Rangers should look to explore.
Why? Because, even at the grand old age of 38, Vardy would still be an upgrade on the strikers currently at Martin’s disposal.
Suppose Rangers are presented with a glorious chance in the last-minute to beat Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season at Ibrox on August 31.
Hamza Igamane is interesting European clubs, with Lille interested in the striker
Who would fans rather have clean through on goal one on one — Jamie Vardy or Cyriel Dessers? Who would they trust more to stick the ball past Kasper Schmeichel?
Ultimately, that’s what it really boils down to. Given he is now in the twilight of his career, nobody would argue that Vardy is a long-term solution for Rangers.
But would he improve the current squad and the current starting XI? Yes, without question. Vardy would also bring leadership, experience and a winning mentality.
The days of blockbuster signings such as Gazza may be long gone, but this is one former England international who would be a smart signing for Rangers if they can make it happen.
Duhan’s lions chances hang by a thread
ON the tour of South Africa four years ago, Duhan van der Merwe was one of the first names on the teamsheet for the British and Irish Lions.
At that point, he was still relatively new on the scene with Scotland and had only a handful of caps after making his debut the previous autumn.
Van der Merwe swiftly made himself a shoo-in for Test selection due to his pace, power and lethal finishing ability.
He offered a genuine point of difference and, in all fairness, he still does. In the professional era, only the great Jonah Lomu has terrorised England quite so readily as Van der Merwe over these past few years.
But there are also some fairly glaring weaknesses in his game. For a player of his physique and stature, he loses the ball far too often in contact.
He also suffers these brain-fade moments in defence, something we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks on Lions duty.
Given the injury lay-off that preceded the Lions tour, Van der Merwe knew he would need to hit the ground running if he was to earn a place in Andy Farrell’s Test team to face Australia.
But with the Test team now taking shape, it’s not going well. James Lowe, Mack Hansen and Tommy Freeman are all ahead of Van der Merwe in the pecking order of wingers.
Van der Merwe started all three Tests against South Africa four years ago. The chances of him doing the same in Australia this time around now feel increasingly unlikely.
Hatton’s comeback tarnishes his legacy
RICKY HATTON was a world champion, a man of the people, and one of the greatest British boxers of his generation.
But every time he makes a comeback, it diminishes his legacy. Hatton will be 47 by the time he faces Eisa Al Dah in Dubai in December, his first professional bout in 13 years.
It is little more than a PR stunt, a money-making exercise, and another example of a boxer who finds it hard to let go, even years after they hung up the gloves.
