The Rangers manager, Walter Smith, has taken a calm view of missing out on his latest transfer target, Kris Commons, to Celtic.
Commons tonight completed his £300,000 move from Derby County to Celtic, where he agreed a three-and-a-half-year deal. Smith had announced on Tuesday that he was confident of securing the player but the offer of a contract worth £20,000 a week at Parkhead – £5,000 more than Rangers could offer – ruined that plan.
"It's just the fact we were in to try to get the player and we have not got him – that's the main thing," Smith said. "Where he goes after that is really immaterial. He's not coming to Rangers and that's what we would have liked to happen."
Rangers remain hopeful of signing at least one player before the transfer window closes on Monday to at least partly fill the void created by the sale of Kenny Miller.
"Over the remaining period of time in the window, we will obviously continue to try to see if we can bring anyone in who can help us," Smith said. "Whether we will have any success or not we will have to wait and see.
"We lost out on Kris Commons and we are obviously disappointed about that. When we went for him we wanted to get him but we haven't done that so we need to get on with it and go for someone else."
Smith denied his threadbare squad means the League Cup is a tournament Rangers can do without. They face Motherwell in the semi-final on Sunday. "How seriously am I taking the League Cup this season? I take it seriously every season," the manager said.
"We've been in every final since I came back to the club, haven't we? So you'd maybe be better asking somebody else whether they are taking it seriously or not. What about the rest of the teams?
"People talk about your list of priorities for the season but as I have said before, you can't pick and choose. You have to try to be successful in them all.
"Everybody mentions the League Cup as if it's not a priority but at Rangers we have shown we take it seriously and we want to do well in it."
