By Peter Jardine and Chris Wheeler
Danny Wilson's dream move to Liverpool finally hit the rocks last night when it was revealed Rafa Benitez has been given only a paltry £5million transfer budget for next season.
The Ibrox hierachy were determined not to give ground in their price war with the Anfield club, even if it meant losing Wilson on the cheap when the player moves out of contract in a year’s time.
Rangers, who yesterday admitted striker Kris Boyd is certain to leave the club in the summer, remain frustrated because they feel Premiership suitors are trying to land the teenager at a bargain price and the deal seemed no closer to a conclusion.
But now it looks at an end, with Liverpool seemingly unable to afford a modest £2.5m deal for Wilson, which would have risen to £4m with add-ons, and accommodate the teenager in the wage structure.
The precarious financial situation on Merseyside puts Spurs at the front of the queue for Wilson’s signature but once again the noises coming from within Ibrox is that any bid must match their market value of at least £5m.
The Ibrox hierarchy feel precedents set in England for the likes of Theo Walcott (Southampton), Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff City) and Chris Smalling (Fulham) should set the benchmark high for the SPL’s best young prospect.
Arsenal and Manchester United paid a combined £17m for those three youngsters at a time when none had gathered the first-team experience Wilson has enjoyed in 2009-10.
So, while manager Walter Smith now accepts that the youngster’s head has been turned by the prospect of moving to England he is determined Rangers won’t lose out because of what is effectively discrimination against the SPL.
‘If you look at some of the top teenage transfers in England over the past few years, then there are a number of them that have involved very significant fees,’ a senior Ibrox source told Sportsmail.
‘It is all very well saying Wilson is only a young boy but the likes of Walcott, Ramsey and Smalling only had a handful of first-team appearances against their name when they moved.
‘Arsenal and Manchester United have had to pay big money in those cases, so should it really be any different because the player is coming from Scotland?
‘It would be interesting to see what Liverpool’s offer would be if Danny Wilson was, for example, at Bristol City.’
Wilson has winners’ medals to his name in all three Scottish domestic competitions — he was on the bench for the Scottish Cup Final with Falkirk in May 2009 — and won two separate Young Player of the Year awards.
As well as the Champions League experience, he made his Old Firm debut at Celtic Park at New Year only days after his 18th birthday. There’s another issue. Rangers have invested heavily in Murray Park and see Wilson as the bluechip graduate of the youth academy in Milngavie.
It cost around £14m to build and the annual running costs are approximately £1.5m.
Alan Hutton’s £9m departure to Spurs a couple of years ago was a massive cash boost and another big sale like this could keep that side of the club in operation for another three years — if Liverpool are tempted to buy now.
Smith, meanwhile, is looking for a new chief scout after Ewan Chester moved to the same role at Norwich City.
Chester teams up with former Celtic skipper Paul Lambert, who led the Canaries to the Coca-Cola League One title, and told Norwich’s official website last night: ‘Walter Smith has been something of a mentor to me and he said: “Ewan, you are leaving as a champion.”
‘He also agreed with me that it was a great opportunity as well. Norwich are a very progressive club and everything I have heard about them has been really positive and it’s a challenge I’m really looking forward to.’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1282379/Cash-strapped-Liverpool-pull-plug-deal-Rangers-starlet-Danny-Wilson.html
