'Absolutely Outrageous' - Michael Stewart reacts as he's mocked amid Rangers transfer claim

Michael Stewart called it “absolutely outrageous” that he was accused of trying to win over Rangers fans during his comments about Champions League qualification and transfers.

The pundit responded on Premier Sports’ Scottish Football Social Club (12 August) to a joke between Darrell Currie and Alan Hutton about his difficult relationship with Gers supporters, knowingly calling himself a “non-partisan observer”.

He believes that even if Philippe Clement overcomes Dynamo Kyiv this week and advances further to bring in the cash windfall of the Champions League-proper there will be very little time to do anything with it before the transfer deadline.

Stewart said: “The other concern is, with Celtic [there’s] not a great deal of transfer activity yet but if Rangers do get into the Champions League, which obviously hopefully they can do that, it’s very difficult then…”

“He’s trying to win them back, Al,” Currie cut in to joke with Hutton.

“Darrell, I’m a nice calm, across the board, non-partisan football observer in this country,” Stewart responded. “This is absolutely outrageous.

“But the point I was going to make it if they do get into the Champions League it’s very difficult to then to do deals quickly for the calibre of players that Rangers will be looking and needing to bring in, to then go and challenge domestically”.

Philippe Clement has Rangers transfer difficulties

All three may have been joking about Stewart’s wider stance on the Light Blues but the fact is he is probably right about the transfer pressure.

It is just the latest element of a catch-22 that Clement has found himself in this summer, where he’s been tasked with overhauling the squad to challenge Celtic but hampered by repeated complications.

After an early flourish of youthful signings it emerged that the Belgian has to sell to buy, with the budget not able to stretch and space needed on the wage bill.

Despite the belated exits of Sam Lammers and Connor Goldson, and the senior arrivals of Vaclav Cerny and Robin Propper, the transfer business looks half-finished after three games of the new campaign.

Now, with the window shutting on 30 August it will leave him just a matter of days to make signings even if his understrength side beat Kyiv and then gets through the play-off round.

Todd Cantwell has asked to leave is training separately but no move has yet materialised, while the likes of exit-linked captain James Tavernier, striker Cyriel Dessers and winger Scott Wright have all started every game so far.

Ianis Hagi is starring for the B Team yet wants to stay [Sky Sports, 12 August], despite reportedly having a move to Fiorentina on the cards [Digi Sport], but Clement apparently doesn’t have any plans for the Romanian.

So the picture remains a messy one with little over a fortnight left before the deadline and barely any time to clear it up.

In other Rangers news, a vital Ibrox star has been confirmed as wanting to stay in an “important” update.

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