Derek McInnes has cautioned that Rangers are essentially "playing with fire" after the club found itself with a severely limited pool of defensive options. The manager disclosed that Tuur Rommens will be sidelined for up to eight weeks following a groin strain he suffered in the closing stages of Sunday’s Scottish Premiership loss to Hibernian.
This injury further compounds the defensive dilemma that the Glasgow side now faces. At the same time, Rangers have intensified their hunt for a new striker, as Youssef Chermiti has been ruled out for a "significant period of time" after sustaining an ACL tear in the same match.
The blow to the forward line comes at a particularly inopportune moment, given that the team has endured a winless start to the campaign. McInnes openly admitted that his squad requires "help" across several areas, specifically mentioning the need for reinforcements at full‑back, wing, and striker positions. The first signing aimed at addressing these gaps is expected to be Couhaib Driouech, a winger who is set to arrive from PSV for a fee reported to be around £6.5 million. McInnes explained that bolstering the defensive unit and adding width were top priorities, but the loss of a player of Chermiti’s calibre also demands urgent attention.
"Strengthening defensively, strengthening in wide areas was a priority. But obviously losing a player of Youssef's ability, we need to look at that one as well," he said ahead of Thursday’s Europa League qualifier against Jagiellonia Białystok. He went on to highlight the acute shortage of left‑footed defenders within the current roster, noting that the club is eager to resolve that shortfall as quickly as possible. "We don't have an array of options defensively.
We don't have a left‑footed defender in the building and we're keen to try and get that resolved as quickly as possible," McInnes added. The manager’s frank assessment continued: "I do think that with the numbers we've got there, we are playing with fire and we are a couple of defenders being injured. The good thing is we've got the ability to react to it and hopefully we can react positively." This statement underscores the precarious balance the club must maintain while coping with injuries to key players.
Chermiti’s injury came just hours after reports emerged that Rangers had turned down a substantial offer from Galatasaray for the forward. McInnes emphasized that the club had no intention of letting the young striker leave during the summer, stating, "The plan was for Youssef to be a big part of it for us. One minute you're flying high and you've got the full season ahead of you and a lot of loftier ambitions for yourself, then obviously he's had to deal with this injury." Looking ahead, McInnes said the club is actively scouting to strengthen the attacking third, acknowledging that finding a quality number nine is notoriously difficult.
"We will try to get the right one that would complement what we've got at the top of the pitch. Obviously, we're looking for a bit of pace at the top of the pitch, ideally something similar to what Youssef did," he explained. Rangers have managed only a single point from their opening two Premiership fixtures and now travel to Poland to face Jagiellonia in the second leg of their Europa League qualifying tie, trailing 2‑1 from the first encounter. McInnes reminded everyone that football is rarely a smooth ride: "We understand that it's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows, I got the job for a reason," the former Hearts boss said.
He added, "We're going to be playing a European game in front of 50,000 tomorrow." He acknowledged the numerous changes and challenges that have marked his tenure so far: "There's a few, a lot of changes indeed, and there's a lot of turning around of the squad. Of course, it's not been as straightforward as I hoped, and we want to enjoy the job a lot better than it is at the minute.
It's part of being a manager. There's ups and downs, but it's about coping with the difficult times. It defines you, and I think it's up to us now to knuckle down, stay calm, work really swiftly in recruitment." In summary, McInnes paints a picture of a club juggling injuries, a thin defensive bench, and a pressing need for attacking reinforcements, all while trying to keep European ambitions alive. The upcoming Europa League qualifier will be a crucial test of the squad’s depth and resilience, and the manager’s next moves in the transfer market could prove decisive in turning the season around.