ALEX McLeish, the Rangers manager, has set the wheels in motion for a January spending spree, but he admits the size of budget is dependent on qualification from the UEFA Cup group stages.
Rangers' European campaign restarts in Poland on Thursday against the little-known Amica Wronki and the manager used the two-week domestic hiatus to scour the continent for potential signings and establish contacts to push through any prospective transfers during the January window.
McLeish watched three World Cup qualifiers during a much-needed break from the Bank of Scotland Premierleague: Czech Republic v Romania and Denmark's home victories against Turkey and Ukraine. With the club expecting Alistair Donald's (pounds) 10m investment imminently - the businessman expressing his wish that the bulk of the money be spent on first-team strengthening - McLeish will cast his net far and wide to ensure value for money.
Should Rangers' involvement in the UEFA Cup extend to the last 32, the manager is hopeful that David Murray, the chairman, will be more relaxed about the level of expenditure.
''Getting through to the next round in Europe is the target and, hopefully, that will strengthen the position,'' said McLeish. ''The January window is still a new thing in British football and managers are more used to dealing in the summer, so I used the break to take in some qualifiers, keep the finger on the pulse and to establish contacts that might be able to help us out in the future.''
He would not be drawn on identities, but the scale of his recruitment drive will be determined not just by the amount offered from the boardroom, but the manager's manoeuvring of existing employees.
Shota Arveladze is out of contract this summer and has yet to enter negotiations. As one of the last of the big-earners, the 31-year-old Georgian may be surplus to requirements or at least invited to take a considerable drop in salary to remain.
''For me, it is not about the money,'' he said. ''I have been lucky that I have been involved in Europe with all of my clubs every year for the past 12 years.''
With McLeish noting that all his strikers are in good form, there may be a case for selling Arveladze, an infrequent performer this season, in January.
He may not be the only one. Craig Moore's double hernia operation will keep him out of action until the end of the year, and considering his well-documented troubles, is a prime candidate for a transfer. So, too, Fernando Ricksen, the Dutchman apparently offered a 25% pay rise to stay but whose hankering to perform in a more attractive league appears irresistible.
Until the opening of the transfer window, the players have been ordered to maintain the form and discipline which brought them back from the brink at home and abroad.
''There is no golf, no shopping for designer gear and no visits to car showrooms,'' the manager warned. ''Football should be all they are thinking about and everything else put on the back-burner.''
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