Michael Beale demands 'aggressive' Rangers transfer approach as he rues loss of 'close ally' in Ross Wilson

He feels like he’s lost a close ally. But Michael Beale insists he can’t wait to take on a commander in chief role when it comes to Rangers’ recruitment this summer.

Sporting director Ross Wilson has taken his leave meaning Beale will head up the mobilising of his squad ahead of a mission to retake the Premiership crown. And the Ibrox boss last night vowed to be aggressive, quick off the mark and most of all accurate when setting his sights on targets he reckons can help shoot down Celtic next season.

The current campaign might not even have reached the split and there’s a Scottish Cup semi final on the horizon. But Beale, who denied links with Nantes winger Marcus Coco, is already planning the opening weeks of the new campaign well aware that there’s likely to be Champions League qualification on the schedule at the same time as the Premiership kicks off. And by then he needs his new-look unit to be operating at peak performances. He said: “I want to move really quickly in the summer window. We need to be aggressive, we need to be early, we need to identify good players.

“There’s a strong foundation. There have to be strong decisions made now and good decisions. I’m excited by that and having the responsibility along with the board and the people who support me in making those decisions.

“It’s a good summer for us. There won’t be much time for resting when the season ends. There’s a lot of work needing done. I’m trying to do that work now. You have pre-season where you have a chance to train and build your team and then the moment the first league game comes around at the start of August you go into the Champions League the following Tuesday.

“So straight away you are in to three game weeks if you win that first game