PEDRO Caixinha is convinced Rangers will be able to compete for the Scottish title next season – despite the recent demoralising defeats to Celtic – if he is able to bring in his summer signing targets.
Caixinha’s side slumped to a record 5-1 loss to their city rivals at Ibrox last Saturday. That result came just six days after a one-sided 2-0 reverse to Brendan Rodgers’ team in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.
Six-in-a-row champions Celtic are currently 36 points clear of Rangers in the top flight and Rodgers is hoping to strengthen further in the close season.
However, Caixinha, who only replaced Mark Warburton as manager in March, has been undeterred by recent results and is optimistic his team will be able to halt their Glasgow opponents’ run of league triumphs, insisting he will enable Rangers to challenge Celtic next term.
“How many years have Celtic still to go [to win 10-in-a-row]?” he asked. “Well, we still have four years, right?
“We hope next year that we can do it, but it’s not a question of trying to stop Celtic. For us, it’s about getting that mentality and desire and that will to win. I am happy for us to be compared against Celtic. We want to be compared with Celtic. That’s fine. Scottish football is about Rangers and Celtic and I’m not going to run away from that fight. I like it.
“We know where they are, we know where we want to be.
“If we bring in these players we have targeted then we can challenge Celtic. I’m not going to say the things that the fans want to hear, I only say things that I feel and that I’m confident about. I want to be realistic.
“If we get in the right core of players things will be different.
“It’s about bringing in players who are at international level – players this club is used to having. That is what we are bringing next season. We also have Scottish players in our core.”
Caixinha, who revealed that he met with Dave King when the chairman made a flying visit to Glasgow last week, stressed that he will have money to spend in the coming months despite the ongoing financial issues at Ibrox.
He said: “I’m being supported 100 per cent. We are doing the things in order to get the core of the players playing that I presented.
“We have been doing things from almost the past month.
“It’s about producing a core list to the board and saying that this is going to be my core team. The board knows, the board agrees and we are working on it.
“Everything is organised according to the realistic situation at the club. I know how far I can go and that’s what I am doing. It’s got nothing to do with numbers. I don’t care if it’s less or more than my predecessor.”
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