Rangers have pulled off something of a coup with the signing of James Graham from Ross County according to former Gers favourite, Alan Hutton.
Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton feels that it demonstrates the work being done behind the scenes to see the club progress over the longer term.
So what has Hutton said?
When asked to reflect on the deal and how important it is for the club, he said:
“It shows you the direction that Rangers are going in. I’ve heard rumours about this kid for a while now, he’s only 16, I’m pretty sure he’ll go into the academy squad, £45,000 I think it was for a youngster.
“It’s a good deal for someone with such big potential, it’s definitely one for the future. It shows what Rangers are all about, they’re building something. It’s not just about right now, it’s about years to come.
“Another young exciting player, hopefully he can hit the ground running and as fans we always like to see the youngsters coming through, getting their chance and hopefully he’ll get that chance.”
So is Hutton correct?
Absolutely, in recent seasons Rangers have added the likes of Glenn Middleton and Nathan Young-Coombes to their academy squad as they look to supplement their own talent with quality from around the country – enticing them with some of the finest facilities and the prospect of a pathway to the first team and it is an aspect of recruitment that shouldn’t be neglected.
Graham had been interesting some of England’s biggest sides – including a trial at Manchester United – so the fact that Rangers have been able to persuade him to stay in Scotland is an achievement in itself, avoiding a repeat of the scenario that saw Billy Gilmour leave fro Chelsea before playing a game for the senior team.
Steven Gerrard will rightly assist in identifying talent to immediately improve his team to challenge and hopefully dethrone Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership but the ideal model is to have a conveyor belt of their own talent – they only need to look at the starting XI from across the city to see how this could benefit the club in the long run.