Steven Gerrard revealed his Rangers revamp is being hindered by Mexican
misfits Carlos Pena and Eduardo Herrera.
The Ibrox gaffer, who saw Ovie Ejaria return to Liverpool, is reeling that around £50,000 a week is tied up on the duds – when he’s trying to land the likes of Everton kid Kieran Dowell.
The England Under-21 starlet is on his radar, along with other potential January targets.
But Gerrard knows how difficult it will be to get midfielder Pena – who arrived back in Glasgow this week – and striker Herrera off the premises.
It’s highly unlikely either of the pair, who were signed for around £4million but are on loan in their homeland, will kick another ball for Rangers.
And in an honest assessment of his squad, Gerrard also revealed:
● The difficulties in trying to rebuild Rangers in one transfer window with just £5million to spend
●How some of his summer signings aren’t giving him enough
●Why he had to send Roma flop Umar Sadiq back to Italy
●He could offer Greg Docherty an Ibrox lifeline in January
●Why red-hot reserve striker Andy Dallas ISN’T ready for his Gers first-team
Gerrard said: “Between now and January 5 we’ll make a decision on Pena. Does he have any future here? I think that would be a very long shot.
“It’s a huge frustration for me when large sums of money are going out of the club and we’re not getting any contribution for it.
“Some of the players not with me are earning big money compared to the rest of the group. That’s money I could be doing with to recycle, make the team stronger and make it compete better.
“Hopefully we can wheel and deal, move people on, bring others in and put us in a better position.
“I inherited these issues. I was aware of them when I came in but it’s very difficult to find people new clubs if they’re earning extreme amounts of money that other clubs aren’t prepared to pay.
“And those players aren’t playing at a good level or giving a good account of themselves for people to come and want them.”
One player Gerrard wants in January is 21-year-old Dowell, who will be allowed to leave Everton on loan.
He watched him at the Toulon Tournament last summer and has kept tabs on his situation.
Gerrard said: “I definitely admire Kieran and I’ve watched a lot of him.
“He’s an Everton player so I can’t say anything else on him at the moment – but he’s certainly one I admire.”
Gerrard will attempt to tinker with his squad in January as Gers try to compete with Celtic for the Premiership title.
But he said: “The reality is that we had to make wholesale changes in the summer on a small budget.
“We had to try and find loans and frees and in important areas we had to try and spend some money.
“The facts are that, net, we probably spent around £4.5 -£5.5m.
“I’m not sure you can do magical and wonderful things in one window with that.
“If you look at the ones we added, the majority of them have given us an awful lot. They’re doing really well and I’m delighted with what they’ve brought.
“But without naming names, there’s two or three who can give more and step up more.”
Gerrard has already started the process by off-loading Sadiq back to Roma after a disastrous loan.
Unsettled midfielder Ejaria has headed back south after the Ibrox club and Liverpool agreed to end his loan period and with Docherty performing well at Shrewsbury, he has the option to recall him.
He said: “There was no point in us standing in Sadiq’s way because it was clear how far away from first-team football he was.
“It’s in the best interests ofRangers, Roma and the kid that he tries to find the best next step for his career.
“Hopefully that might free up some funds in January as it’s clear that we need to give Alfredo Morelos and Kyle Lafferty some support up front.
“Docherty is a tough one. He’s still young, he’s enjoying his football and getting games.
“I could drag him back here just to suit me. But I have to think about the kid’s future and what will make him grow and be available for us on a regular basis.
“We’ll speak to him and get his thoughts on it. ”
Rangers fans are keen to see Gerrard promote Dallas, who has hit 51 goals in 50 games.
But Gerrard said: “Andy’s scoring heavily and deserves a lot of praise.
“We’ve looked at Andy on many occasions in training and in games – his all-round game, not just volume of goals and although he’s close, we’re not sure he’s ready to be thrown into a first team environment just yet.”
The Ibrox gaffer, who saw Ovie Ejaria return to Liverpool, is reeling that around £50,000 a week is tied up on the duds – when he’s trying to land the likes of Everton kid Kieran Dowell.
The England Under-21 starlet is on his radar, along with other potential January targets.
But Gerrard knows how difficult it will be to get midfielder Pena – who arrived back in Glasgow this week – and striker Herrera off the premises.
It’s highly unlikely either of the pair, who were signed for around £4million but are on loan in their homeland, will kick another ball for Rangers.
And in an honest assessment of his squad, Gerrard also revealed:
● The difficulties in trying to rebuild Rangers in one transfer window with just £5million to spend
●How some of his summer signings aren’t giving him enough
●Why he had to send Roma flop Umar Sadiq back to Italy
●He could offer Greg Docherty an Ibrox lifeline in January
●Why red-hot reserve striker Andy Dallas ISN’T ready for his Gers first-team
Gerrard said: “Between now and January 5 we’ll make a decision on Pena. Does he have any future here? I think that would be a very long shot.
“It’s a huge frustration for me when large sums of money are going out of the club and we’re not getting any contribution for it.
“Some of the players not with me are earning big money compared to the rest of the group. That’s money I could be doing with to recycle, make the team stronger and make it compete better.
“Hopefully we can wheel and deal, move people on, bring others in and put us in a better position.
“I inherited these issues. I was aware of them when I came in but it’s very difficult to find people new clubs if they’re earning extreme amounts of money that other clubs aren’t prepared to pay.
“And those players aren’t playing at a good level or giving a good account of themselves for people to come and want them.”
One player Gerrard wants in January is 21-year-old Dowell, who will be allowed to leave Everton on loan.
He watched him at the Toulon Tournament last summer and has kept tabs on his situation.
Gerrard said: “I definitely admire Kieran and I’ve watched a lot of him.
“He’s an Everton player so I can’t say anything else on him at the moment – but he’s certainly one I admire.”
Gerrard will attempt to tinker with his squad in January as Gers try to compete with Celtic for the Premiership title.
But he said: “The reality is that we had to make wholesale changes in the summer on a small budget.
“We had to try and find loans and frees and in important areas we had to try and spend some money.
“The facts are that, net, we probably spent around £4.5 -£5.5m.
“I’m not sure you can do magical and wonderful things in one window with that.
“If you look at the ones we added, the majority of them have given us an awful lot. They’re doing really well and I’m delighted with what they’ve brought.
“But without naming names, there’s two or three who can give more and step up more.”
Gerrard has already started the process by off-loading Sadiq back to Roma after a disastrous loan.
Unsettled midfielder Ejaria has headed back south after the Ibrox club and Liverpool agreed to end his loan period and with Docherty performing well at Shrewsbury, he has the option to recall him.
He said: “There was no point in us standing in Sadiq’s way because it was clear how far away from first-team football he was.
“It’s in the best interests ofRangers, Roma and the kid that he tries to find the best next step for his career.
“Hopefully that might free up some funds in January as it’s clear that we need to give Alfredo Morelos and Kyle Lafferty some support up front.
“Docherty is a tough one. He’s still young, he’s enjoying his football and getting games.
“I could drag him back here just to suit me. But I have to think about the kid’s future and what will make him grow and be available for us on a regular basis.
“We’ll speak to him and get his thoughts on it. ”
Rangers fans are keen to see Gerrard promote Dallas, who has hit 51 goals in 50 games.
But Gerrard said: “Andy’s scoring heavily and deserves a lot of praise.
“We’ve looked at Andy on many occasions in training and in games – his all-round game, not just volume of goals and although he’s close, we’re not sure he’s ready to be thrown into a first team environment just yet.”
