Rangers could match Celtic as huge Ibrox windfall edges closer
Rangers could be set to match Celtic after edging closer to a huge windfall at Ibrox.
Russell Martin has been appointed as the new Rangers boss as he looks to turn the club’s fortunes around.
Martin has been backed in the transfer market by the new owners after the US consortium, which is led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, completed its takeover in May.
The Glasgow side have signed Oscar Cortes, Oliver Antman, Thelo Aasgaard, Emmanuel Fernandez, Djeidi Gassama, Joe Rothwell and Lyall Cameron on permanent deals.
Meanwhile, Mikey Moore, Nasser Djiga and Max Aarons have all made the move to Ibrox on loan.
However, Rangers have endured an unconvincing start in the Scottish Premiership after drawing each of their opening two matches.
It means Hearts and Celtic have already built up a four-point lead over Rangers after winning their first two fixtures.
Rangers set for Champions League showdown after stunning twist
Rangers have been more successful playing in Europe in recent weeks, something the fans have become accustomed to over the past few years.
The Scottish giants beat Panathinaikos 3-1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
They then followed that up with a 4-2 victory over two legs in the third round against Viktoria Plzen, booking their place in the play-off round against Club Brugge.
If Rangers can overcome the Belgian side, who beat RB Salzburg in the third round, they will progress through to the league phase of the competition.
Rangers could match Celtic after £38m reveal
Celtic landed around £38million in prize money alone from the Champions League last season after making it through to the knock-out round play-offs.
A similar run in the Champions League for Rangers would see them also earn a fee in that region, with a bigger windfall potentially on the cards due to their higher Uefa coefficient ranking.
Celtic also have a hurdle to overcome before booking their place in the competition after being drawn against Kazakhstan Premier League champions FC Kairat in the play-off round.
Rangers banked around £17million from the Europa League last season after reaching the quarter-finals of the competition before being knocked out by Athletic Bilbao.
While Martin is keen to improve his side's Scottish Premiership form, he will be fully aware of the financial impact qualifying for the Champions League will bring.
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