Graeme Murty rules out Alfredo Morelos' exit to China
Ranger head coach Graeme Murty has dismissed the prospect of Alfredo Morelos making the switch to the Chinese Super League after the transfer deadline day passed in Scotland without finding a suitable replacement.
The Gers turned down an £8million bid for Morelos from Beijing Renhe prior to the deadline and he is now poised to remain in Glasgow for the rest of the campaign irrespective of the Chinese transfer window being open for another month.
Murty said: "Obviously their transfer window closes later than ours but we have to protect our squad and the positive feeling we have. The message I have had is that I don’t need to sell anyone for any economic imperative. I’ve made that decision, I want Alfredo to be here. Unless we can go out and spend any money that comes in to strengthen us and make us better it makes no sense to have economic pleasure in the short-term but then weaken our challenge in the long-term."
The loss of Morelos could have been a significant blow to the club's ambitions across all competitions, and the club's hierarchy have stood firm to ensure that the 21-year-old remains a key part of Murty's plans for the next few months at the least.
Morelos featured on the bench during last night's 3-0 Scottish Cup win over Fraserburgh at Bellslea Park, and this assured their place in the fifth round of the competition. Josh Windass was undoubtedly the star of the show as he notched a match-winning hat-trick which sets up a meeting with Ayr United later this month.
Rangers' plans of competing for the Scottish Premiership has not gone as per their expectations this term, but they will still be aiming to finish in the top-three spots in order to get the opportunity to compete in Europe for the second season running. The Gers suffered an embarrassing exit in the first qualifying round of the Europa League last time around.