Chris Waddle has tipped Jack Grealish for Rangers, putting a surprising transfer idea into the conversation at a time when the Manchester City forward's future looks unsettled. Waddle said the move would add spark to the Scottish game, but also admitted the wages would be the first obstacle.
That is why the link is being searched now. Grealish, soon to be 31, is described as a Manchester City outcast and his career is said to be stagnating after flashes with Everton last season and an injury in January that finished his campaign very early. For Rangers, the suggestion lands as a headline-grabber because they need signings quickly after a horrendous start to the season and rotten luck with injuries.
Waddle did not hide the scale of the idea. He asked: “Can you imagine Jack Grealish at Celtic or Rangers? That would add another spark to the Scottish game.” He then cut straight to the problem, saying: “The only trouble for Celtic or Rangers would be wages.”
That is the part that makes the move look more like a thought experiment than a deal. Grealish is reported to be on 300k a week at Manchester City, while Rangers could at best pay a third of that. On that math alone, any agreement would need either Manchester City to cover a large chunk of the salary or Grealish to accept a major drop, and Waddle himself said he doubted they could pay even half of what he would be asking for.
He also suggested the route would only open if the numbers changed. Waddle said he was sure teams had approached Manchester City about doing a deal for Grealish, and that if Grealish was happy to drop his wages, he could have signed a two or three year contract somewhere else. That is where the idea collides with reality: the pitch may be easy to imagine, but the wage bill is not.
For Rangers, the timing adds to the intrigue, because there will not be any UEFA Europa League football at Ibrox next season and Celtic are already five points clear in the Scottish Premiership. A name like Grealish would fit the scale of the need, but the financial gap makes it hard to see how the move gets beyond speculation unless Manchester City help or the player gives up a lot of money. Right now, that is the whole story.
