Rangers Chairman Could Fund £15m Winger Deal: Is Full Price Worth It?

Rangers Chairman Could Fund £15m Winger Deal: Is Full Price Worth It? Derek McInnes has spent five months turning Rangers into a side that grinds opponents down. Since arriving from Hearts in June, he has had no European group-stage fixtures to plan around, so his focus has stayed on the league, and Sunday’s 2-0 win at St Mirren kept the team in a tight title race with Celtic . A 1-0 win at Celtic Park on 20 September made McInnes the first Rangers manager since Graeme Souness to win his opening Old Firm derby, and a 1-0 semi-final victory over Aberdeen on October 31 booked a League Cup final place. He admitted he was playing with fire over squad numbers during a recent defensive crisis, and a 2-2 draw with Dundee showed the intensity can dip. His strengths are obvious with elite organisation, a mid-block that chokes central space and smart use of former players such as Shankland and Devlin. The flip side is rigidity, which leaves the team toothless against deep sides when wingers fail to beat their man. Djeidi Gassama has started nine of 11 league games, mostly on the left but able to flex right, with Daisuke Yokota and Ross McCausland behind him. The right flank changed on deadline day, when an Algerian international arrived on loan from VfB Stuttgart. The winger behind the reported price tag Badredine Bouanani took time to build fitness but starts regularly, scoring a crucial goal against Dundee in October and delivering a commanding display against Aberdeen in the League Cup semi-final. McInnes uses him as an isolation winger who thrives on slow-tempo possession, with heavy touch frequencies that double-team full-backs and open half-spaces for overlapping runs. Football Insider reports that former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness believes chairman Andrew Cavenagh may be “tempted” to fund a permanent £15 million move personally, using the windfall from his impending £4.5 billion ParetoHealth sale. Wyness floats selling 22-year-old forward Youssef Chermiti, despite his ACL injury, after Besiktas had a £22 million summer bid rejected. Should Rangers pay the full £15m to keep Bouanani? STUTTGART, GERMANY – AUGUST 08: Badredine Bouanani of VfB Stuttgart is tackled by Merlin Röhl of Everton FC during the during the pre-season friendly match between VfB Stuttgart and Everton at MHP Arena on August 08, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images) Yes to the player, no to the price. A raw £15 million option would thin other areas; McInnes has said he is unsure of the fine print, and speculation points to £8-10 million. Unlike traditional vertical wingers, Bouanani manipulates tempo and beats defenders inside compact mid-blocks. If Cavenagh completes the sale, the board should welcome director loans or personal funding, which avoids triggering Financial Fair Play constraints. European clubs are sniffing around Gassama, but McInnes is vehemently against a January exit, which makes Chermiti the better sale. A player who drew £22 million from Besiktas keeps continental value despite a long-term ACL injury, and a 2027 deal could offset the cost. McInnes’ defensive platform gives Bouanani and Gassama security to take risks, so protecting it matters more than paying £15 million.