Glasgow Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist is hoping their goalkeeper gloves wearer Allan McGregor will not leave in the close season.
The Scotland goalie gloves wearer has impressed for the Scottish side for a number of seasons and has become a key member of their first team, which is involved in one of the closest title races in the UK.
Rangers – who have three games remaining – currently lead Celtic by one point, but the green and white hoops have a game in hand on their city rivals.
The Old Firm pair have been involved in more fixtures against each other than usual this season, and Rangers’ football gloves wearer McGregor was the hero in their last outing – a 0-0 draw at Ibrox on April 24.
The shot-stopper saved Georgios Samaras’s late spot-kick to keep Rangers well and truly in the title race.
And it is clear just how much McCoist – who will take over from boss Walter Smith at the end of the season – wants him to remain in Rangers team football kits.
McCoist said: “Allan McGregor has been vital to our team. We are certainly not keen to sell.
“The fact that Allan has come out and said he wants to stay is a great start to any conversation about someone renewing their contract.
“It would certainly be a great boost for us. From the management side, we are very hopeful that it can be done.”
Financial troubles have meant signings at Ibrox have been few and far between in recent years, a long way away from their big-money spending days when the club signed Norwegian striker Tore Andre Flo from Chelsea for £12 million. He turned out to be a massive flop.
But a Craig Whyte takeover looks to be edging nearer and nearer, which could breathe some life back into the Rangers coffers and given McCoist some spending power next season.
Although, he’ll be hoping he won’t need the cash to fund another goalie gloves wearer.
The assistant manager added: “I don’t want to sell any of them to be honest. We don’t want to sell, we want to strengthen.
“If we don’t get any money, the obvious way to look at it is, you might have to sell to strengthen.
“Hopefully that will not be the case. Allan McGregor has been vital to our team. We are certainly not keen to sell.”
Celtic have tended to be a bit more shrewd with their singings in recent years, despite spending big money at times.
They signed the likes of Chris Sutton and John Hartson, who both excelled in the Scottish Premier League.
And the loan signings of Craig Bellamy and Roy Keane wouldn’t have come cheap, but proved effective for the club.
So, if McCoist is given some money to splash in pre-season then he’ll do well to remember not to waste it on the big names like Flo, and instead opt for players who will do a job for the club on a cold, wet Tuesday night in Aberdeen.
James Leyfield, Zapkam Reporter