Alan Gow may yet become a Wolves player in the January window if Rangers agree to an initial loan period for the forward, whose £250,000 transfer to Molineux collapsed after a failed medical.
DARRYL BROADFOOT and GRAEME MACPHERSON
ALAN Gow may yet become a Wolves player in the January window if Rangers agree to an initial loan period for the forward, whose £250,000 transfer to Molineux collapsed after a failed medical.
The cash-hungry Ibrox club endured another day of frustration when Gow returned to Murray Park after biomechanical irregularities were discovered in his medical. Rangers also offloaded Chris Burke for free to expedite the removal of his £14,000 salary from the wage bill.
Last night they were no nearer selling one of their available assets. Joe Kinnear, the Newcastle manager, has followed-up his enquiry for Barry Ferguson but Rangers' plans have been thrown into chaos with the collapse of Kris Boyd's £3.75m transfer to Birmingham City. The Midlanders are refusing to budge from their wage offer of around £17,000 per week and no Barclays Premier League clubs have entered the race, despite reports to the contrary.
With Boyd in limbo, Rangers will turn their attention to offloading another player in the next week if no further bids are forthcoming for their leading goalscorer. It is understood Newcastle could be considering a near £7m joint offer for both Ferguson and Madjid Bougherra but they are awaiting confirmation of Shay Given's plans before prioritising signing targets. France remains the likelier option for Bougherra if Marseille make a concrete bid.
Given has expressed a desire to leave Newcastle and, in that event, the St James' Park club could turn to Allan McGregor, a sale Rangers would be able to sustain with Neil Alexander already providing experienced back-up.
For now, Sir David Murray, the chairman, and Martin Bain, the chief executive, are left to reflect on a traumatic week in the realisation that matters could deteriorate further. Rumours persist over the full extent of the club's financial problems, despite Murray's assurances in The Herald earlier this week. The collapse of the Gow deal has typified the bad fortune of both the club and the player.
Mick McCarthy, the Wolves manager, expressed his disappointment but Rangers have not ruled out an initial loan deal to prove his fitness.
"Alan has gone back to Rangers," McCarthy admitted. "We'd agreed everything with him but something has shown up in the medical which we are not completely happy about. It's nothing serious, it's something bio-mechanical but that's something for Alan and Rangers to sort out, not us.
"He's a player who would have added to the squad but that's not going to happen. I don't know what will happen in the future but it's not going to happen in this window."
A Rangers spokesman said: "It is not a serious condition and can often be treated with physiotherapy and specific training; our club doctor will follow up on his return."
Steve Bruce, the manager of Wigan Athletic, denied any interest in signing Boyd. "We've heard the tittle-tattle," he said. "I've been told I've been linked with Kris Boyd. It is the first I've known about it. I read he was in Birmingham yesterday so perhaps they've got me mixed up and still think I'm Birmingham manager."
Rangers have not ruled out offering Peter Lovenkrands a deal until the summer but they would first have to get rid of players and determine how low a wage the Dane would accept.
Burke completed his move to Cardiff City after a late attempt by Alex McLeish to bring him to St Andrews. "I think he thought he was going to Birmingham, but there was a hitch at the last minute, it fell through and we stepped in," said Dave Jones, the Cardiff manager. "I hope he brings the pace, skill and delivery that he has got."
Burke has set his sights on reaching the Barclays Premier League after signing a 2-year deal. The 25-year-old has struggled with injuries in recent seasons but is hoping to make a fresh start.
"I was down there and had time to think about it but I didn't need much persuasion," he said. "It's a club that's on the up. They're building a new stadium and their training facilities look excellent so it's a new challenge for me.
"I enjoyed my time at Rangers but times move on and I feel it's the right time for me to move. I feel as if I wasn't progressing as I wanted to or played as much as I would have liked. Like any player you want to be playing football and enjoying it. That only happens by playing matches and that wasn't happening at Rangers.
"If you look at the standard, it's good. You see Championship teams in the cups doing well against the top teams and, while I'm sure it will be difficult to reach the Premier League, that's my aim. I feel that's where Cardiff belong. They've come on leaps and bounds over the years. Hopefully, if they keep progressing, they can do so."
Initial negotiations centred around Burke signing a pre-contract agreement to move to Cardiff in the summer but the player felt it would be more prudent to leave Rangers now. "There's no point in labouring it. I need stability in my life and wanted to make a clean break. I need to support my family so there's no point going down for six months then coming back and seeing what else is happening."
Burke listed his highlights of six years at Ibrox. "Making my debut and playing in European and Old Firm matches all stand out," he admitted. "There are a great bunch and I'll miss them but it's only an hour on a plane home."
