New Rangers boss Russell Martin believes he will not need to sell his star players like Mohamed Diomande, who has been linked with a move to Everrton
BILBAO, SPAIN - APRIL 17: Mohamed Diomande of Rangers FC runs with the ball during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg match between Athletic Club and Rangers FC at Estadio de San Mames on April 17, 2025 in Bilbao, Spain. (Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images)
Mohamed Diomande, a rumoured target for Everton, in action for Rangers this season
(Image: Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images)
New Rangers boss Russell Martin believes he will not have to sell star players this summer amid reported Everton interest in Mohamed Diomande. The midfielder has been a rumoured transfer interest of the Blues in the early weeks of the close season.
Diomande, who played for Ivory Coast in their defeat to New Zealand at the weekend, provided four goals and five assists in his 31 league appearances last season and is one of a host of players linked to Everton since the end of the season.
Whether he will be available is in doubt, however, with Martin suggesting there is no “necessity” to sell his key figures - at least unless they attract an offer viewed as too good to turn down.
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Martin, appointed last week by Kevin Thelwell, Rangers’ new sporting director having taken up the post after leaving Everton at the end of the season, said: “We have to try and keep our best players. And I think we’re all really aligned with that.
“So, unless things come in that really help the club to build and move forward, I don’t think it’s a necessity to do that at all. That’s my understanding of it.
“And we’ve all been really clear on it. So we’ll just have to wait and see. But I’m looking forward to working with those guys.”
Thelwell was followed to Rangers by Dan Purdy, who was Everton's head of recruitment.
And he said he was shocked to get him. Speaking to Rangers TV, Thelwell said: "I didn't actually believe that Dan would be available to us because once he decided that he was going to leave Everton there was a lot of interest in him. But I'm delighted that we've been able to secure him.
“He's going to be completely focused on recruitment across all of our teams and I'm sure he's going to do an excellent job.
“We know what the job is. The job is that we need to win and we need to win today. There's no doubt about that."
“So, of course, if you want to win today you have to get some balance in the playing group and the playing squad that you put together. But it's not just about winning today, it's also about winning tomorrow. It's about sustaining success.
“If you want to do that, you have to recruit young, hungry players that are developed within the football club and you also need to develop an appropriate trading plan. Every good football club needs to have the ability to develop players, sell for profit, return on investment etc.
“That helps the team to not only win today when those boys are playing but then also the reinvestment of those finances back into the team. So, it's going to be a balance is probably the key word from my perspective.
“I understand that it can't be too young a team but neither can it be too old. We need to find a way of doing a number of things all in one space. So, that's what we'll be trying to do.
“We understand what the job is and what we need to do, which is to win. But we also need to know that we need to make sure we sustain that.”