The Europa League might be the Champions League‘s poor relation but some of Rangers’ opponents in their section of UEFA’s second tier competition wouldn’t look out of place in the premier tournament.
And the likes heavyweights Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Lyon boast budgets that would dwarf the Light Blues. However, when it comes to their league phase opener, there is no doubt Rangers have a squad worth more.
In fact, Swedish side Malmo – who are romping their domestic league – have spent HALF of the total of Rangers’ squad – and that’s excluding the £4million the Ibrox side won’t have to pay for Oscar Cortes until next summer. The biggest fee the Allsvenskan side paid is the reported £1.6million for Celtic flop Sead Haksabanovic but it’s mainly modest outlays, free transfers and academy graduates. Here Record Sport examines the two squads ahead of Thursday’s clash.
Rangers
Goalkeepers
- Jack Butland (free)
- Liam Kelly (free)
- Lewis Budinauckas (Academy)
Defenders
- James Tavernier (£200,000)
- Rıdvan Yilmaz (£3.5m)
- Robin Propper (£1.5m)
- John Souttar (free)
- Dujon Sterling (free)
- Jefte (£800,000)
- Neraysho Kasanwirjo (loan)
- Leon Balogun (free)
Midfielders
- Oscar Cortes (loan – £4m fee to be paid next season)
- Connor Barron (free)
- Mohamed Diomande (£4.5m)
- Nedim Bajrami (£3.4m)
- Kieran Dowell (free)
- Nicolas Raskin (£1.5m)
Attackers
- Cyriel Dessers (£4.5m)
- Tom Lawrence (free)
- Vaclav Cerny (loan)
- Hamza Igamane (£1.7m)
Total squad cost – £21.6 million
Malmo
Goalkeepers
- Ricardo Friedrich (free)
- Johan Dahlin (£300,000)
- Joakim Persson (Academy)
Defenders
- Anton Tinnerholm (free)
- Niklas Moisander (free)
- Martin Olsson (£400,000)
- Jens Stryger Larsen (free)
- Pontus Jansson (free)
- Colin Rosler (£1m)
- Busanello (£300,000)
- Elison Makolli (Academy)
- Nils Zatterstrom (Academy)
Midfielders
- Soren Rieks (free)
- Oscar Lewicki (free)
- Otto Rosengren (£1.3m)
- Sergio Pena (£850,000)
- Anders Christiansen (£850,000)
- Sebastian Jorgensen (£1.1m)
- Oliver Berg (£850,000)
- Stefano Vecchia (£850,000)
- Taha Abdi Ali (£600,000)
- Lasser Berg Johnsen (£1m)
- Zakaria Loukili (Academy)
- Adrian Skogmar (Academy)
- Hugo Bolin (Academy)
- Kenan Busuladxic (Academy)
Attackers
- Isaac Kiese Thelin (free)
- Eric Botheim (free)
- Sead Haksabanovic (£1.6m)
- Daniel Gudjohnsen (free)
Total squad cost – £11 million