Derek McInnes has openly cautioned that Rangers are "playing with fire" after the club found itself with a severely limited pool of defensive options. The manager disclosed that midfielder Tuur Rommens suffered a groin strain in the dying minutes of Sunday’s Scottish Premiership loss to Hibernian and will be sidelined for as long as eight weeks.
At the same time, the team’s pursuit of a new striker has intensified following the ACL injury that ruled Youssef Chermiti out for a "significant period of time" during the same match. The early part of the season has been anything but smooth for the Glasgow side, with a winless start prompting McInnes to admit that the squad requires "help" across several positions, notably at full‑back, wing, and forward. The first reinforcement to arrive will be Couhaib Driouech, a winger who is set to join from PSV for a fee reported to be around £6.5 million. McInnes explained that bolstering the defence and adding width were top priorities, but the loss of a player of Chermiti’s calibre also forces the club to reassess its attacking options.
"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," McInnes said ahead of Thursday’s Europa League qualifier against Jagiellonia Białystok. He went on to highlight the lack of variety in the back line, noting that Rangers do not currently have a left‑footed centre‑back in the squad and that they are eager to resolve that gap 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," he added. "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." The injury to Chermiti came just hours after Rangers turned down a substantial offer from Galatasaray for the young striker.
McInnes was quick to stress that the club had no intention of letting the forward leave during the summer window. "The plan was for Youssef to be a big part of it for us," McInnes said. "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." He acknowledged that finding a quality number nine is notoriously difficult and that the club will be looking for a player who can bring pace and a similar playing style to Chermiti.
"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," McInnes 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 leg played last week. The manager recognised the challenges ahead but remained pragmatic.
"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. "We're going to be playing a European game in front of 50,000 tomorrow." He also reflected on the broader situation within the squad, noting that there have been numerous changes and a significant reshuffle of personnel. "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," McInnes concluded. In summary, Rangers find themselves at a precarious juncture, juggling injuries to key defensive players, the loss of a promising striker, and a sluggish start to the domestic campaign. The club’s immediate focus will be on securing the winger from PSV, scouting a left‑footed centre‑back, and identifying a forward who can inject speed and goal‑scoring threat. All of this must be achieved while preparing for a crucial Europa League qualifier that could set the tone for the rest of the season.
The manager’s candid assessment underscores the urgency of these tasks and the fine line the club walks between potential success and further setbacks.