The Rangers squad that we saw go within a couple of penalties of winning the Europa League seems a long way away from the one that we have seen for most of this season, and yet, it is fundamentally the same in terms of personnel.
It’s clear that over the next six months though, a rebuild and period of transition will be needed given how many players are approaching the end of their contracts.
What would make Ross Wilson and the new manager’s job easier would be if key players like Ryan Kent put pen to paper on new deals, he might be struggling for goals but he remains one of our best-attacking threats and it could be that Michael Beale’s impending arrival is enough to persuade him to stay.
Speaking to Football Insider, Alan Hutton reckons that Beale could well be the man to get the best out of Kent again and that his appointment could be decisive:
“I think it really depends on who is leaving. He obviously knows Michael Beale really well. I think Ryan Kent was playing at a high level under Steven Gerrard and Michael Beale.
“It was his best numbers in terms of goals and assists when they were there. So he knows how to get the best out of him.
“I think if somebody like that was to come back into the building it would maybe give him the edge to go and prove himself under someone he likes working with.
“He would possibly stay. If somebody comes in that he doesn’t know, it might be a time for the likes of Kent to go.
“The overall worrying factor for me is that so many players are out of contract and going into their last year. Recruitment has to be better, it has not been good enough up to this point so it is a huge job for whoever comes in. It is going to be very difficult.“
Hutton is right. Kent is at a big club, is settled and knows that he is a valued member of the squad, if the new manager coming in is one who has always rated him and who knows how to make him tick then it would take a sizeable offer to persuade him that his future lies elsewhere.
There are some who feel that Kent is part of the problem, however, recent analysis has highlighted that the tactical adjustments made by Giovanni van Bronckhorst mean that the winger just isn’t getting into the same goal-scoring positions that he used to under the previous management team.
If Beale – if he is confirmed as boss – can get Kent to stay then we still have a solid core of players either in or approaching their peak, there is the making of a good squad there. We just need a manager who can get them playing at their potential and doing it more consistently.