The Rangers need to be playing at Champions League if they want compete in the transfer marketaccording to coach Philippe Clement.
He says the money coming from qualifying for the Champions League will “make a big difference” in trying to break Celtic’s dominance, which has seen them win 9 of the last 10 SPL titles.
“Of course everyone wants to be in the Champions League,” he said, published on the club’s website.
“For the club it would be a big difference, for the players too because they are better paid in the Champions League, so they like it more.
“That’s why you need to be prepared for both scenarios also when talking to players.
“It is very clear that in some cases this is only possible when you receive money from the Champions League.
“And it’s the biggest stage in the world, so you can play against the best players in the world.”
The war in Ukraine meant that the first stage was transferred to the Polish city of Lublin, about 100 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
The second leg, Tuesday 12th August, will also be played at a semi-neutral pitch, with work ongoing at Ibrox Stadium, meaning Rangers will play their home games until the end of September at Hampden Park.
The winners will then face FC Twente of the Netherlands or Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg in a play-off to reach the main draw.
Rangers reached the Europa League final in 2022 when they were defeated on penalties by Eintracht Frankfurt, an achievement and experience that Clement does not discount.
“I think all European competitions have evolved a lot, also in the Europa League you have really big games. Even in the Conference League, in the final stages you can have really big games.”
