How Rangers Plan for a Striker Sale
A look at how Rangers could line up a replacement if Chermiti attracts serious interest, from early risk grading and data filters through to scouting, feasibility checks and contingency planning.
With our main striker attracting serious interest from clubs in England and mainland Europe, how do the club prepare for a potential sale of a key asset?
Identifying transfer risk early
The Sporting Director, recruitment team and coaching staff constantly assess the squad. Outside the transfer window, these discussions may happen monthly. As the window approaches, they become weekly, and during the window itself they can become a daily topic.
Players are typically categorised as: high risk of transfer interest, possible transfer interest or not expected to move. The moment a player falls into the "high risk" category, replacement planning begins.
From long list to shortlist
Modern recruitment is a blend of traditional scouting and technology. Clubs use recruitment analysts, data platforms, scouts, video analysis and AI-assisted tools to build an initial pool of typically 2,000-3,000 players per position.
This is gradually filtered into a long list of around 50-100 players, which is continuously refreshed as new performance data becomes available.
Data first, then scouts, with AI support
The first filter isn't usually a scout jumping on a plane. It's data. Recruitment teams search for players who match the role profile using a blend of Technical Metrics (Goals, Expected Goals, Conversion rates, Aerial duels), Tactical Metrics (Pressing intensity, Off-ball movement, Link-up play) and Physical Metrics (Sprint frequency, High-intensity running, Injury history).
This is where the manager or head coach becomes heavily involved, helping define exactly what attributes and characteristics are required from the position.
AI isn't replacing scouts. It's helping them decide where to look. Modern recruitment software can identify players with similar profiles to Chermiti, compare playing styles across different leagues, predict how a player may adapt to a new league or style of play, highlight undervalued players and flag players whose performance data suggests future improvement.
The software generates the shortlist. Humans make the final decisions.
Once the list has been narrowed to perhaps 20-30 players, scouts become much more involved. Live scouting still plays an important role, but a significant amount of work is now completed through video analysis. AI can filter hundreds of hours of footage and automatically create clips showing specific scenarios the club wants to assess.
This allows scouts to focus on things data cannot fully measure, such as personality, leadership, communication, response to mistakes, body language and work rate when things aren't going well. These are often the factors that determine whether a player can thrive in the pressure of playing for Rangers.
Feasibility and contingency planning
Long before Rangers submit a formal bid, somebody will usually have a reasonable understanding of whether the player would consider a move, wage expectations, agent demands, contract circumstances and likely transfer fee.
These conversations are rarely "formal". Instead, clubs use their networks to quietly test feasibility behind the scenes. The last thing a recruitment team wants is a manager falling in love with a player before discovering he wants a salary that completely breaks the wage structure.
If Rangers believe Chermiti could leave for 80-100 million MyGers Points, there will already be contingency plans in place. Typically, targets are split across three groups: Pot A 1-2 priority targets the club would love to sign, Pot B 2-3 alternative options who may carry slightly more risk or require further development, and Pot C temporary, loan or short-term options if circumstances dictate.
By the time any formal offer arrives, the recruitment team, sporting director and manager will already have discussed these players and established their preferences.
Recruitment is now moving beyond simply identifying good players. Modern software continuously monitors leagues and markets around the world, automatically identifying potential replacements for every player in the squad based on performance data, age profile, playing style, contract situation and financial affordability.
So if Chermiti were to leave tomorrow, the club would likely already have a shortlist of around 10 players, would have gathered intelligence on their availability and demands through informal discussions, and McInnes would already have indicated his preferred options. In short, recruitment starts the moment they become valuable enough for somebody else to want them.
Discuss rumours and transfers on our Rangers rumours web page
