THE CHINA SYNDROME
Murty:We could cash in on Alfredo right now but what’s the point if we don’t have time to get in better striker to help us close gap?
THE menu was Italian when Graeme Murty sat down for dinner with Dave King but the food for thought was Chinese.
The bill, when it finally came on Monday night, was settled by the Ibrox chairman – a practice with which Rangers fans are becoming increasingly familiar.
A significant chunk of his tab for investing in the Light Blues, now approaching £20million for the second time in his business career, could be offset by the sale of Alfredo Morelos to the Chinese Super League.
Beijing Renhe have emerged as the club who have dangled a transfer package worth almost £7m for the Colombian frontman under the noses of King and his co-directors.
The reluctance of the South African-based tycoon to sanction a deal has raised eyebrows among the cynics, most of them Celtic fans, who reckon Rangers aren’t so much housed on Edmiston Drive these days as a stone’s throw from Queer Street.
King, however, is holding firm because he refuses to hamstring his new manager by giving him the option of only one established striker, Jason Cummings, to lead the line until the end of the season.
The situation will be reviewed in the summer when Morelos may attract even more lucrative offers from closer to home, particularly if his levels of goalscoring form win him a World Cup call.
For now King is refusing to deal and that is unlikely to change before the end of February when the Chinese transfer window finally slams shut. Murty takes his side to Fraserburgh tonight for their rearranged Scottish Cup clash and Morelos will remain an integral part of his squad with the short-term ambitions of the club still to be realised before the end of May.
Murty said: “We have to look at what Alfredo is capable of achieving. If he thinks he can play in the Premier League we have to get to the stage where he becomes a fantastic, viable option for the English top flight and his national team.
“If that happens it means he’s pulling up trees in this country as a happy, healthy, fit and firing striker. In that mindset he becomes a viable option for the Premier League not just the Chinese League. At that stage he looks at multiple options and instead of mega dough, he’s looking at mega, mega dough.
“Alfredo has adjusted to being in this country. Everything we hear from him and his agent is that he’s happy here.
“All this other stuff comes from outside agents. Alfredo has not come to us and said he wants to go.
“As far as we are concerned we listen to offers and we are respectful of them but it all comes down to a football decision and I will not weaken the squad.
“It is a lot of money but I’ve been told all along it’s down to a football decision. If you can take someone out of the squad and replace them with better then go and do it.
“If you can’t then what are you doing? We’re here to build and take the right path. I don’t want
to derail that. There are lots of people outwith this club who are ‘experts’ on it without knowing the inner workings of Rangers. They don’t know what we are doing.
“They say lots and lots of things. I deal with Mark Allen, the board and the chairman and I’m being told by the chairman to make solid football decisions on players in and out.
“I’ve done that all the way through and I have his backing. If a decision is reached to go for a player or let one go then it has to be for a footballing reason.
“I’m not being put under any pressure at all.
“We’re not looking to make a statement by turning down a bid. We’re looking to close a gap and push on and get Rangers to where they need to be.
“People will read into it but we’re not looking at anything other than our business and getting closer to people in front of us. That’s what we’re here for.”
Murty confided he enjoyed a slice of sea bass and a starter of tuna when he turned up for his first, serious sitdown with his boss although as keen golfers the talk also invariably strayed to Sawgrass and St Andrews.
They may hold handicaps as golfers but Murty insists there are no barriers to Rangers progressing under the leadership of King who has already agreed to provide at least £7m of funding over the next 12 months to keep the club operational.
Murty said: “I took a great deal from the meeting. It was a pleasant meal and it was good to see the depth of feeling he has for this football club. A lot of that is missed, his desire to see us at the top of Scottish football.
“I would be thrilled to be a part of it long term. He talked about the football club as a whole – the training ground, the stadium and his enthusiasm for improving standards across the board. It will be a fantastic place to be and I was excited with his vision.”
King has already bankrolled the addition in January of players such as Sean Goss, Jamie Murphy, Cummings, Russell Martin and Greg Docherty as Rangers play catch-up following the debacle of Pedro Caixinha’s reign.
There is still interest from Italy and Portugal in Bruno Alves but, again, Rangers are reluctant to let him go because he’s the strongest central defender on their books and, additionally, motivated by the prospect of playing in the World Cup.
Murty said: “Once again it’s a football decision. Do you anticipate a fit and healthy Bruno Alves being an asset to this football club? Of course I do.
“It’s the same with Alfredo. We’ve got a Scottish international coming in as a centre-forward in the shape of Jason Cummings and we have internationals throughout the squad.
“Alfredo should be looking to push into the Colombian squad as well. It’s a realistic target for him. To do that he has to achieve certain things in the second half of the season that he can accomplish here.
“It’s a perfect stage for him – 50,000 watching us, loads of chances to play on Sky every month. It’s a fantastic stage for him to showcase his talent.”