McCoist glad to see Rangers stand strong on transfers

Manager Ally McCoist said yesterday that Rangers’ decision to spurn interest in Nikica Jelavic and Steven Davis is a clear signal of the club’s intent this season.

The Scottish champions rejected a £6.5 million bid for Jelavic from Leicester and claim there was also interest in Davis from Aston Villa. There were also unsubstantiated reports that a further bid of £9m had been made for Jelavic from an unnamed club.

Manager McCoist – who recruited seven new players over the summer – believes his squad is in good shape to successfully defend their Clydesdale Bank Premier League title.

He told the club website: “I am delighted that Nikica and Steven are both staying. There was no pressure to sell either player but the club received a serious offer for Nikica from Leicester.

“The fact it was rejected sends out a clear message to all Rangers fans and I have no doubt the players we have are more than capable of defending the SPL title.

“It has been a long transfer window with lots of speculation but we have added seven new players while the core of our double-winning side last season have been re-signed so I am more than happy with the squad we have. Hopefully all the boys can return from international duty unscathed and the break will also give our injured players the chance to recover before our game against Dundee United next weekend.”

Rangers owner Craig Whyte added: “We had a serious offer for Nikica Jelavic but it fell well short of the player’s true valuation.

“Ally McCoist is building a good squad capable of competing for the domestic treble and Jelavic and Steven Davis are key players for the team.”

Rangers signed Lee Wallace, Dorin Goian, Carlos Bocanegra, Alejandro Bedoya, Kyle Bartley, Juan Manuel Ortiz and Matt McKay this summer, while securing Allan McGregor, Davis, Steven Whittaker and Gregg Wylde on new deals.

Whyte added: “Ally has signed seven new players and re-signed seven more this summer, which has been a significant investment in the squad.

“While all Rangers fans want to see as many star signings as possible there has to be realism as well.

“Unfortunately, we have not qualified for the Champions League or Europa League group stages and the club has to be run in the correct manner.

“Ally and I discuss these matters constantly and he has told me he is happy with the squad he has at his disposal. We now look forward to the rest of the campaign and doing all we can to continue our success. As always, we are committed to working together to ensure a successful domestic campaign.”

Meanwhile, Rangers’ SPL fixture against Kilmarnock at Ibrox, originally scheduled for 6 August, will now be played on Tuesday 27 September, with a 7.45pm kick-off. The match was moved to accommodate Rangers’ friendly against Chelsea.

l Dates and kick-off times have been confirmed for the third round of the Scottish Communities League Cup. Five ties will be played on Tuesday 20 Septemeber, and the other three the following evening.

The Tuesday games are St Johnstone v St Mirren (7.45pm), Kilmarnock v Queen of South (7.30pm), Motherwell v Hibs (7.45pm), Aberdeen v East Fife (7.45pm), Airdrie Utd v Dundee Utd (7.45pm), while the Wednesday sees Ross County v Celtic (7.15pm), Falkirk v Rangers (7.45pm) and Ayr v Hearts (7.45pm).

The Ross County v Celtic tie will be televised live on BBC Scotland.