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Rams eye up Hemdani By PETER JARDINE Premiership new boys Derby County are lining up a �£1million bid for Rangers midfielder Brahim Hemdani. Manager Billy Davies and his Pride Park staff are believed to have monitored the player in the recent Ibrox friendly win over Chelsea. And now they could invite Walter Smith to decide if he wants to part with Hemdani, who has two years left on his contract in Glasgow. The Frenchman could be tempted by the lure of Premiership wages, while Rangers may feel they could redirect the funds elsewhere during the remainder of the transfer window. With Kevin Thomson, Barry Ferguson, Lee McCulloch, Steven Whittaker and Charlie Adam all chasing places, Smith already has a series of Scottish options as cover for the midfield. Former Marseille captain Hemdani was signed on a Bosman by Alex McLeish before his final season in charge, but injury troubled the 29-year-old initially at Ibrox. He won a regular place last year under Paul le Guen and Smith and scored spectacular goals against Celtic and Osasuna. He was then later named as the club's in-house Player of the Year. Sources close to Hemdani suggest he may be content to remain at Rangers but a Derby bid could change that situation and there may be other interest if it becomes clear that he might be allowed to leave.

On Setanta's highlights programme yesterday the panel of "experts" reckoned Whittaker was almost certain to start at RB as we had spent �£2million on him. A lot by our current standards. If you look at the Thomson transfer most fans said the same about him due to a similar fee. He must start as the manager needs to justify his fee. I don't know if they were just stirring it up due to Hutton's great form (Zeta aside). But is general consensus not that Whittaker was bought to be used as a RM and back up RB? Has Walter not near enough said he will be tried at RM and if it's common knowledge to the fans how do the guys, whose job it is to know and talk about football not have a clue?

HOMESICK Shaun Maloney is set for a sensational return to Celtic just eight months after controversially quitting Parkhead for a crack at the Premiership. Record Sport believes talks between the SPL champions and Maloney's club, Aston Villa, are at an advanced stage and the 24-year-old will return to Celtic in a �£1million deal within the next week. Maloney has sought assurances from friends in Glasgow that he will be welcomed back by Hoops fans Many supporters criticised the striker's decision to leave during the January transfer window. At the time, talks aimed at securing the Scotland attacker on a long-term contract failed and Celtic criticised the influence the player's agent, John Halliwell, had on his decision to move to Villa Park for �£1m on the last day of the window. Maloney has failed to settle in the Midlands and although he had teamed back up with his former manager at Celtic, Martin O'Neill, the little wideman found first-team chances restricted. Maloney started just five games after his move, scoring once, and made it known he would consider coming back to Scotland. Celtic were alerted to the situation and are now close to giving Maloney, who won the SPFA Player and Young Player of the Year Awards in 2006, another chance at Parkhead. Advertisement Celtic coach Tommy Burns, speaking after Maloney scored his first international goal in six appearances, against the Faroe Islands at the end of the season, claimed the player had left Scotland too soon. Burns said: "Shaun decided to take the plunge and go for it. I think I would have stayed here until I was 25 or 26 and had had three or four good years like the season Shaun had the year before last. "I think he basically went too soon. Kenny Dalglish is the perfect example for me. He was 26, had played seven or eight years in Scotland, did everything he possibly could have, and then said he was ready for England." Maloney might have gone too early in his career but it looks like he will be given a massive chance to rectify the mistake by the club that didn't want to lose him in the first place. Rumour or Fact ?

Murray tips Celts to retain the title By Ron Scott SIR DAVID MURRAY fully expects to spend well in excess of Ã?£10 million on new players before the transfer window closes. Yet the Rangers chairman admits Celtic remain favourites to win the title. ââ?¬Å?They have won the Championship for the last two seasons and the bookies have made them favourites this time, too,ââ?¬Â he conceded. ââ?¬Å?Itââ?¬â?¢s difficult to disagree. ââ?¬Å?But we must make a serious challenge and be there or thereabouts. We canââ?¬â?¢t afford to be so far behind Celtic again.ââ?¬Â Rangers have already spent around Ã?£5 million on new faces, but Murray insisted, ââ?¬Å?Weââ?¬â?¢re not finished yet. Weââ?¬â?¢ll make at least two more quality signings, if not three. We definitely want another top-class striker.ââ?¬Â Rumours Murray played down rumours in France that his club are about to sign 30-year-old striker Daniel Cousin from Lens for Ã?£1 million, and re-iterated they wonââ?¬â?¢t be increasing their Ã?£1.5 million bid for Kilmarnockââ?¬â?¢s Stevie Naismith. Heââ?¬â?¢s determined not to break the clubââ?¬â?¢s wage structure. ââ?¬Å?Meeting the Ã?£4.4 million transfer fee to Hibs for Scott Brown was not a problem. But we were not prepared to pay the Ã?£25,000-a-week heââ?¬â?¢s reputedly on at Celtic,ââ?¬Â said Murray. ââ?¬Å?Before you know it the deal ends up costing around Ã?£14-Ã?£15-million by the time you add on wages for a five-year contract. ââ?¬Å?We must have parity in the dressing-room. ââ?¬Å?Young Scottish players coming through can expect to earn between Ã?£2000 and Ã?£3000-a-week, rising to Ã?£6-7000 if they get a decent run in the first team. ââ?¬Å?By the time theyââ?¬â?¢re regulars, the figure is between Ã?£10-12,000, going as high as Ã?£16,000-a-week with bonuses. ââ?¬Å?The key is to reach the Champions League proper. Thatââ?¬â?¢s where the club makes money and the players earn huge bonuses.ââ?¬Â Revealed Rangersââ?¬â?¢ financial figures will be revealed this week and itââ?¬â?¢s anticipated they will show a debt of around Ã?£12 million. But Murray insisted, ââ?¬Å?Our debt is totally manageable.ââ?¬Â He has now entered his 20th year as chairman, and admits he wonââ?¬â?¢t go on for ever. ââ?¬Å?Weââ?¬â?¢ve won 13 titles in these 19 years, but some time Iââ?¬â?¢ll decide I donââ?¬â?¢t want to do this forever,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢ve been on the dancefloor with a couple of interested parties, but Iââ?¬â?¢ll only sell my legacy if Iââ?¬â?¢m convinced the future of the club is in good hands. ââ?¬Å?There is no point someone having to beg, steal and borrow to buy the club then having nothing left to invest. ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢m re-invigorated since Walter Smith returned and I remain committed as proved by the money being spent.ââ?¬Â

Hadn't seen either of these articles posted, if they have been, I apologize. Murray on Brown/Naismith: Rangers executive chairman Sir David Murray says that the Light Blues could not afford to sign new Celtic midfielder Scott Brown from Hibernian. He claims Brown could not have been accommodated in a new system which rewards key Ibrox players. He said: "If he's on the wages that have been reported how would that leave us with our other players? "Would Rangers' young Scots be happy to sign new deals on less than half what another young Scot was being paid?" Scotland cap Brown ended up at Celtic Park in a £4.4m transfer despite ongoing speculation that Ibrox was his preferred destination. Meanwhile, Murray also expressed an interest in reviving the club's wish to bring Kilmarnock's Steven Naismith to Ibrox. He remains hopeful of securing the Scotland striker, despite a summer-long signing saga, even though Rangers boss Walter Smith has withdrawn the club's latest bid. Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston has reported plenty of interest from other teams. And the Ibrox chief explained: "We've the greatest respect for Kilmarnock but if they have other clubs who want to buy the player, why don't they accept one of those bids they've received? "Walter has already spoken about the offer we made. "He's a good young player and we'd like to have him here but he's 20 years old and at that age you're buying potential." Murray is also backing Smith to bring Rangers closer to champions Celtic in the Scottish Premier League. "What we can't have is the gap there was last season. "Obviously we'd prefer to win it, but I think every Rangers supporter wants to see us compete." Murray On His Future: CHAIRMAN Sir David Murray says Rangers hope to bring in another three players before the transfer window closes and will spend as much as £10m in total rebuilding the squad. And he insists he has not found the right man or men to take over his role as custodian of the club. Murray has made it clear that if the right offer comes in he will step aside but so far he has not been offered an acceptable bid that will guaranteee the future of Rangers. He said: "What I have said repeatedly is that I am coming up for 20 years. I have been here 19 years and I have won 13 championships. "I said that I didn't want to do this job forever but I will only sell if the right person comes along whom I believe can take the club on to a better and higher level. "There have been a few nibbles but not the right people for me to hand over my legacy. "I think you can see we have been quite active again in the market. We will spend over £10million this year on players by the time the window closes. "We intend to bring in two or three more players. I am invigorated that Walter, Ally and Kenny are here. There has been a vibrancy. "I remain committed to the club. A lot of things have happened to me in the last couple of years but I am no less committed to Rangers Football Club. "There is no photo-fit of the ideal person to buy the club. I have to feel comfortable that my legacy and the future of the club will be in good hands. "It is very hard to remain popular for 19 years. I have been through all the highs and all the lows and all the successes and failures. "There is no point in someone coming along and using every single penny they have got to put them in a position to own the club." If the three are Whittaker, Cousin and Naismith.. Well, who knows.

Thanks to Gribz and the request to be pinned in a few sections. Hopefully the Mods/Admin can keep on top of further transfer business over the coming weeks. Cheers to Gribz btw

If they knock that back ill be surprised.

Has now gone full circle and returned to Feynoord. He had a transfer free clause in his contract. I always think you should never go back but i would have liked to see Giovanni coming to us for a few years.

Anyone remember him from our game, i think he played in the first leg but not the second. the first leg we could not break down there defence so there is a positive. beasley was a good player but has faded away, lets hope he can get his career on track at Ibrox

Since MB (:uzi: ) appears not to have the knack of actually landing a player who would 1 - enhance our team and 2 - cost a transfer fee, we have redirected our attentions away from a fantastic player to these two (oh, before reading the article, anyone guess what they have in common?) http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/11895 Cammy F

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/6257696.stm Cammy F

This time it's Jason Koumas

Does anyone think that the ~£7M pounds we offered for the above will be spent on 'other targets'? Or do we believe that the net spend when the transfer window closes will stand, as it does now at ~£0 ???? If we do fail to sign anyone other than say the likes of Naismith and McCulloch will this be enough to tip the majority of fans over the edge? I would suggest not - not enough of those who turn up to Ibrox care enough to be honest. They'll happily go along and watch Rangers struggle to get 2nd in a two horse race and continue to await SDM to ride over the horizon on his white charger (are we allowed to say white charger in this post-sectarian country) and deliver his 'moon-beams of success'.... Cammy F

Still in for Faubert, Cuellar, McCulloch with Beasley supposedly signed and looking at a loan for Webster.

Agree with the other posters on another thread, at 28 he would be a good asset for 4-5 years. He can play left mid or upfront and Smith knows him well. Ive rated him whevever he has played for Scotland so Im happy we will be getting him. To score goals for a small team like Wigan in the Premiership along with some assists means he is doing something right.

the silence is deafening from ibrox on the transfer scene. so bad that even the media have stopped speculating. walter has had plenty of time to survey the transfer market and target players but given the lack of activity i dont expect many more players to come through the doors at murray park.

Good news IMO, I think we could still see the best of him yet

he played good the last few months of the season. Well done big man

This time of year you see many people complaining about the bs rumours getting annoyed with the paper talk and generally wishing the window was shut. Am I the only one who feels the opposite and the lack of activity this summer, even paper bs, is doing my head in?

As the Rangers support rightly becomes ever more impatient with the slow and apparently minimal strengthening of the playing staff this summer itââ?¬â?¢s interesting to note that this Wednesday the Queen will hold an Investiture at Buckingham Palace. This essentially means that after a 6 month wait since being announced as a Knight Bachelor in the New Year Honours list, David Edward Murray will finally be officially known as Sir David Murray. Mere mortals such as I can only imagine the pomp and glamour associated with such an event. Iââ?¬â?¢m sure the pride and indeed honour of being recognised by oneââ?¬â?¢s peers could be considered the pinnacle of oneââ?¬â?¢s professional career. Certainly, Sir David Murrayââ?¬â?¢s business career has been impressive and he deserves much credit for the way he has led his life whilst battling several personal tragedies. Ergo, I sincerely hope our chairman enjoys the day and accepts our good wishes. I then hope that, after the ceremony and upon his return to Scotland, Sir David will then commence a renewed campaign to return our club to the pinnacle of their domestic fraternity. In the last two seasons our great club has not won a thing and the outlook isnââ?¬â?¢t bright ahead of any new campaign. Beaten to the signature of Scott Brown, embarrassing and pointless bids for Steven Naismith and the usual media stooges announcing non-existent bids for the likes of Claudio Pizarro means the pawns in this game of transfer chess are interesting to discuss. Is it the first class players who we allege we will buy? Is it the young domestic players who we canââ?¬â?¢t compete with Celtic for? Or is it the fans who are being asked to renew their season tickets at an increased price for little return? No matter the answer to that question, we are losing the game ââ?¬â?? even at this early stage. Alan Gow, Kirk Broadfoot and Jean-Claude Darchville are all reasonable signings. All three have the game to add to our squad as well as the potential to improve it. However, we still need more and we still need players of a class to settle quickly ahead of a huge game in late July where weââ?¬â?¢ll be involved in the second round of the CL qualifers. Teams such FenerbahÃ?§e, AEK Athens and Sparta Prague then all await if we make it to the third round in mid/late August. Can we genuinely say weââ?¬â?¢re confident of beating these teams? Do we have the squad to cope with these huge matches while getting off to a much-needed good start in the SPL? To maximise our chances, itââ?¬â?¢s vital we make any further signings as soon as possible. Pre-season will soon be upon our players and its imperative that, considering the number of changes Smith intends to make, all new players are integrated into the squad as soon as possible. The longer our new team has together in terms of training and actual matches the better. Waiting till the window shuts in late August to make the bulk of our signings is very risky and we donââ?¬â?¢t exactly have a great record of doing good business on deadline day. I guess the likes of Murray and Bain will be trying to ensure that we only spend money we can afford. Obviously, that makes fiscal sense but instead of gambling on CL Group stage qualification with an under-strength squad, why not spend the allocated funds (whatever they may be) early enough to maximise our chances? Yes, that is also a gamble but the odds are arguably not as long as the former. Spending money on players is always a risk. We have suffered in the past from this and will continue to do so in the future. We havenââ?¬â?¢t helped ourselves by having a non-existent scouting system and by negotiating the kind of contracts that make players lazy. Again, we have to minimise risk by taking the time to analyse prospective players fully in what they may bring to the club. As such, perhaps our lack of real movement on the transfer front is explained by a greater need for full analysis. If this is the case then patience must be advised. However, weââ?¬â?¢ve been patient now for over two years. Weââ?¬â?¢ve also been incredibly loyal and weââ?¬â?¢ll continue to be so. What we now need is ambition, commitment and leadership from those we follow. What better leader than a newly honoured knight of the realm? He may not be here for much longer and perhaps his battle days are behind him. But can he leave a sporting legacy that would match the pride he has for his business work? Or is this one step too far for a warrior who can no longer lead from the front? Arise, Sir David... http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=425&Itemid=1

Will we ever be successful in the transfer market with Martin Bain as our 'negotiator'? I for one believe that as this man cares not one iota about Rangers, he isn't the man to be discussing transfer fees and wages to potential players and their representatives. He should be removed forth-with and replaced by a 'footballing person' who has Rangers long-term interests at heart and who is helped identify targets by a scouting network. It is too late to empoly Gordon Smith in this role and I don't know if Campbell Ogilvie would come back as he was shafted by Murray / Bain. So, here is my suggestion - I would employ Graeme Souness in this role and would employ ex-players like Laudrup, Albertz, Numan, Mols, Wilkins, Klos, Prso etc as 'scouts' - these players are well respected in their homelands and would be ideal people to represent us across Europe and beyond. Thewy would also be well placed to spot a player and would have insiders who could also tip them of players who are coming to end of contracts and looking for moves etc. This would take time and money to establish, so under Murray would be a non-starter, but we can but dream.... Cammy F

Roman Abramovich has reportedly told Chelsea he will no longer spend his billions on the club. The Russian owner has, according to The Sun, decided that he no longer wants to be a key decision maker and believes the club should operate as a proper business - meaning they will have to generate their own transfer budget like most other clubs. That throws into doubt the future of stars Frank Lampard and John Terry who are both negotiating new deals. Abramovich, who revealed his plans at a meeting last Monday, has imposed a wage cap and with both England internationals unwilling to settle for less than they feel they are worth, Chelsea may decide to cash in this summer as both players have two years left on their current contracts. The club are hoping to bring in three new players in the summer, but won't splash the cash on transfer fees as they have in the past. Steve Sidwell has already joined on a free transfer from Reading with Claudio Pizarro of Bayern Munich set to do likewise, while Brazilian defender Alex will join from PSV in July for a fee of one dollar. Chelsea were 180mil in the red, if Roman cuts the cash there will be big problems at the Bridge.

Will be good if he starts, watched him on Saturday and he was taking the piss out of Dunfermline. You will probably see Webster play as well, along with Lennon

At last. That's been one of the most boring and prolonged transfer stories in a long time. Clicky If they can add someone like Owen up front, they could be even harder to stop next season.

Now i dont mean to suggest that we should be a selling club, but it really is no surprise we are in the financial mess we are in and cant afford to spend money on players now when you think of the lack of income from transfer fees. in the last 5 years, the only player i can think of that we have sold for any money was BF. and we bought him back! the rest have either gone on freedom of contract (think how much we should have got for the likes of shota and lovenkrands on contracts) or even more bizarrely we have paid off players to leave! or taken nominal fees just to punt the rubbish. Now a 21 yr old has just gone for 4.5m and there is talk of gordon signing for 8m. think how much money hearts and hibs are getting right there?! talk of a 1.5m move for naismith (very good player in my opinion) another 21 yr old... how much do we let our 21 year olds go for? if they are not good enough, why are we wasting money producing them? either that or surely we can sell them to the championship for a wee bit of money?!