Andrew Cavenagh has made clear Rangers’ summer transfer recruitment strategy is moving into a more targeted and mature phase, with the emphasis shifting away from volume and potential towards leadership, experience and proven winners.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with selected media at Ibrox, the club’s leadership figure backed head coach Danny Rohl while setting out a recalibrated vision for squad building after a turbulent first year under the 49ers Enterprises-backed regime.
“I know that is the popular topics, right? Money and players,” Cavenagh said.
“I would say our focus is on building a winning team and we are prepared to commit more resources to achieve that.”
That statement reflects a clear evolution in thinking from last summer’s aggressive recruitment model, which saw significant turnover and a heavy reliance on loan signings and developmental profiles.
Quality over quantity
Cavenagh acknowledged as much, pointing to the scale of change already undertaken and the need for greater precision moving forward.
“Last year was a massive amount of change. I think it was about 27 ins and outs or something like that,” he said.
“I would not expect to see something quite at that magnitude.
“It will be a step down in terms of volume from last year, but one step up in terms of focus on chemistry, leadership, etc.”
Andrew Cavenagh confirms Rangers under “no pressure to sell”
The shift is as much philosophical as it is structural.
Rangers’ previous recruitment strategy leaned heavily on acquiring younger players with resale value and long-term financial upside, alongside loan deals designed to spread cost and risk.
This summer, however, the priority is explicitly different.
“We go into the summer with no pressure to sell from a financial perspective,” Cavenagh added.
“Sales that we make will be from a sporting perspective.”
That marks a significant departure from the perception of Rangers as a squad assembled primarily through market efficiency rather than established dressing-room authority.
Improving on last season
Cavenagh was equally direct in assessing last season’s shortcomings, particularly the failure to translate individual talent into collective consistency.
“If you look at the squad, we’ve clearly proven there is talent to play with everyone in the league,” he said.
“We haven’t stitched it together sometimes for 90 minutes and certainly not across the season.”
That disconnect, he suggested, lies at the heart of Rangers’ collapse from a position of strength into a third-place finish, as well as the loss of momentum during a post-split run-in that saw the Gers lose four out of five fixtures.
“We need more leadership, more mentality to achieve our goals,” he said.
“We do think the team needs more chemistry, leadership and experience.”
The language is notable.
Rather than focusing solely on technical recruitment profiles, Rangers are now explicitly prioritising psychological and cultural attributes.
This is a shift that will directly influence targets identified this summer.
Andrew Cavenagh praises loan market
Cavenagh also defended the club’s use of loan signings and high-volume squad turnover last year but made clear that such an approach will be scaled back.
“We will always have loan players because there is good value,” he said.
“But I think you’ll see that tick down this summer.”
A Scottish bias
Cavenagh also admitted the club would target more Scottish players to help restore a domestic identity to the squad moving forward.
“We have a pro-Scottish bias in the club today,” he revealed.
“Meaning if you have two players roughly equal and one is Scottish, we will take the Scottish player.
“When we look at what positions we are filling we don’t start with people we start with profiles. What positions is it, what type of person is it? An athletic centre-back or a ball-winning centre-back, for example. How big, how fast?
“We are always asking who is Scottish that fits that profile. Every time we are looking at that. That’s not to say we can just go out and grab 11 Scots off the street and win the title.
“It is a bias towards Scottish players, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only criteria we look at to build a winning team.”
Read Rangers analysis
Rangers are moving away from short-term patchwork solutions and towards a more coherent, stable core designed to sustain a title challenge over multiple seasons according to the Gers big wig.
Rohl’s role in that process is central, with Cavenagh reiterating full support for the head coach as the club attempt to convert structural change into on-pitch performance.
The challenge now is execution.
Rangers must balance financial responsibility, squad reduction in certain areas, and the introduction of proven leadership figures capable of handling the demands of a title race.
After a season defined by inconsistency and disappointment when it mattered, the message from the top is that talent alone is no longer enough.
