The former Gers player wrote in his column for The Scottish Daily Mail on 14 August (page 142) that there’s “no doubt” that losing Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey have weakened the squad.
Aribo joined Southampton while Bassey moved to Ajax on a club-record transfer fee.

“Rangers have lost two starters from the team that got to Seville and there’s no doubt the sales of Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo has weakened them in those areas,” wrote McInnes for The Scottish Mail.
“Bassey came on so much last year — that’s why there was so much interest in him and that’s why Ajax paid the big fee.
“Aribo was always in the Rangers team for the big games.
“It’s too early to judge the new arrivals but the signs from Tom Lawrence and Malik Tillman are good.”
Time will tell
There’s really no doubt that losing both Aribo and Bassey in the summer is a blow for the club.
However, they both have moved on a big transfer fee, and it reflects how well they have done for the club in the past 12-18 months.
At the same time, the Bears have done extremely well to bolster their squad and added depth in almost every position. They have signed as many as seven new players.




Bassey was outstanding last season, and it’s up to the new players now to step in and fill the void.
John Souttar has joined on a free transfer, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst has signed Ben Davies from Liverpool.
In midfield, Malik Tillman could prove to be a masterstroke signing for the club. The youngster who joined on loan from Bayern Munich has already made a strong impact.
Overall, there’s enough quality in the side, despite losing two key players.