Whisky veteran Billy Walker has opened the door to investing in Rangers – but the sums the diehard can throw at the club look set to be limited by UEFA.
The GlenAllachie Master Distiller made his name working with major names linked Ballantine’s, Inver House, and Burn Stewart before going on to purchase BenRiach Distillery in Speyside in 2002 – which he sold to Jack Daniels’ owners Brown-Forman for £285m in 2016. And last year, Walker saw GlenAllachie surpass the £20m turnover mark. That has sparked hopes from the Rangers’ fans that a hefty sum could be ploughed into the club as they look to rebuild – and close the gap on Celtic.
Ibrox icon Graeme Souness has already made it clear how much he thinks should be spent to dethrone the Hoops – insisting that Gers need to splash £50million on up to four quality additions to close the gap on Celtic earlier this year. In the wake of the 3-0 trouncing at the hands of Brendan Rodgers’ side, the 71-year-old insisted: “Right now, there is gap between Rangers and Celtic, but it’s not insurmountable. Three or four quality signings could make the difference, but Rangers don’t have the money right now. If they were to spend £50million, it’d be nip and tuck between the two of them.”
Walker stated that he does not see himself as a potential “primary investor” in Govan – but even if a massive £50million kitty could be unlocked for Philippe Clement UEFA rules would limit any market movement. While Souness has suggested throwing money at the Ibrox issues European football’s governing body caps spending on football operations at 70 per cent of the club’s annual income.
The rules were introduced in June 2023 in a bid to half overspending by clubs and specifically names the outlay on “player and coach wages, transfers and agent fees” must be under the threshold. If an agreement can be reached with whisky tycoon Walker it appears it will be a game of patience until the impact translates to the pitch.