Rangers boss buoyed by refusal to sell star duo

Published: 01 Sep 2011 - 21:30:11

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Rangers manager Ally McCoist believes the club's refusal to sell Nikica Jelavic and Steven Davis is a sign of the club's determination to retain the Scottish Premier League title.

The Glasgow giants rejected a £6.5million bid for Jelavic from English Championship club Leicester and said Premier League Aston Villa were interested in Davis.

Former Rangers and Scotland striker McCoist told the club's website: "I am delighted that Nikica and Steven are both staying.

"There was no pressure to sell either player but the club received a serious offer for Nikica from Leicester.

"The fact it was rejected sends out a clear message to all Rangers fans and I have no doubt the players we have are more than capable of defending the SPL title.

"It has been a long transfer window with lots of speculation but we have added seven new players while the core of our double-winning side last season have been re-signed so I am more than happy with the squad we have.

"Hopefully all the boys can return from international duty unscathed and the break will also give our injured players the chance to recover before our game against Dundee United next weekend."

Rangers owner Craig Whyte added: "We had a serious offer for Nikica Jelavic but it fell well short of the player's true valuation.

"Ally McCoist is building a good squad capable of competing for the domestic treble and Jelavic and Steven Davis are key players for the team."

With Rangers having failed to qualify for the group stages of either the Champions or Europa League competitions, domestic prizes are all the club can look forward to this season.

And Whyte said: "While all Rangers fans want to see as many star signings as possible there has to be realism as well.

"Unfortunately we have not qualified for the Champions League or Europa League group stages and the club has to be run in the correct manner.

"Ally and I discuss these matters constantly and he has told me he is happy with the squad he has at his disposal. We now look forward to the rest of the campaign and doing all we can to continue our success.

"As always at Rangers, we are committed to working together to ensure a successful domestic campaign this season."