Why Rangers shouldn’t pay £1m for Jordan Jones

Kilmarnock’s rejection of Rangers’ bid for Jordan Jones means that the deal is likely to rumble on for much of the rest of the window. Kilmarnock are of course free to value their players at whatever sum they wish - and while the clubs will still probably end up meeting in the middle, there is the slight problem that Jones is probably worth more to Killie than he is to Rangers right now. Here are three reasons why.

It’s not value for money

£1m is quite a lot of money for Rangers - it’s also the amount that they paid for Alfredo Morelos, who has been the best striker in the league this season, and more than what was paid for Daniel Candeias, the best winger in the league this season. Jones is clearly a talent, but Rangers have shown that they’re able to find bargains from various sources, and Jones is clearly not going to represent that kind of value.

Rangers don’t desperately need him

Daniel Candeias is having an excellent season, Jamie Murphy has just been signed, and Josh Windass is in fine form. Jones simply isn’t going to be a starter in this Rangers team just yet, and Rangers don’t need to pay over the odds for a backup player.

While the depth on the wings is light compared to Greg Docherty’s central midfield role, where the club are probably overstocked, Candeias and Murphy are both consistent, solid players in their prime who have had few injury problems. And even if there are injuries, Rangers have arguably been at their best when deploying a diamond formation without wingers anyway.

There are other targets Rangers could move for

Jones is an exciting player, but he’s far from the only target Rangers could move for. Sean Goss looks to be a decent acquisition, defying the skepticism that initially greeted his transfer, and if Rangers are just looking for depth on the wings then Mark Allen can probably find a player of similar calibre for a loan.

On the other hand, if Rangers are looking for Scottish-based young players for the wings who have the potential to develop into first-team stalwarts, Jones isn’t even unique there, either. For at least the same price, Rangers could make a move for Chris Cadden at Motherwell - who is arguably a superior player and would also provide needed cover at right-back, too.