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Rangers do not need to spend big to compete with Celtic, says Mark Warburton

Rangers manager Mark Warburton at pre-season training camp in South Carolina
Image: Rangers manager Mark Warburton is looking for value

Mark Warburton insists Rangers do not need to splash out millions of pounds to compete with rivals Celtic.

While Brendan Rodgers last week paid an initial fee of £3m to lure Scott Sinclair from Aston Villa to Parkhead, the Gers have so far kept their spending to a minimum.

Of the nine players who have checked into Ibrox this summer, Warburton has only had to pay small compensation sums to land Josh Windass, Matt Crooks, Jordan Rossiter and Joe Dodoo while others such as Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar arrived for free.

But Warburton - who hinted he could complete his hunt for a new defender and striker within days - reckons his transfer activity does not mean Rangers are planning a Ladbrokes Premiership title challenge on the cheap.

Asked if the club was prepared to match Celtic in the spending stakes, he said: "We'll never talk about specific budgetary amounts but from our point of view we have got to add value.

"With where the club has been the last four or five years I think it's imperative we get value. What that value is the big question.

Joey Barton
Image: Joey Barton arrived at Rangers on a free transfer from Burnley

"But I look at Joe Dodoo, Jordan Rossiter, Joey Barton - who would have been in the Premier League with Burnley had he not come here - and that is us getting value.

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"It's not about how much you spend, it's how you spend the money you have got. It's not always about the big sums. Sometimes the best business is done for small fees.

"I look at Andre Gray who is now minimum a £25m to £30m player. He was half a million quid two years ago, so it's not always the amount you spend that is important.

"It's about having an eye for a player, how you value a player and making the right move at the right time and if you can do that you'll reap the rewards."

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