THE signing of Aaron Ramsey was a statement of intent from Rangers on transfer deadline day as Giovanni van Bronckhorst sets his sights on the Premiership title.

Like the capture of Amad Diallo last week, it was also a realisation of the predicament that the champions find themselves in. Failure this season is, quite simply, not an option.

For all the emotion and significance that last term held across the Old Firm divide – as Rangers sought title 55 and Celtic chased ten-in-a-row – it has been clear for some time that the current campaign is the most important one in football and financial senses.

The Champions League money on offer for whoever emerges victorious over the next few months could be transformative. It is a double-edged sword in many ways, with the balance of power set to swing significantly in favour of the winners of this defining title race.

It is hard to imagine that Ramsey was on the original list of potential targets that Van Bronckhorst drew up when he and Ross Wilson, the sporting director, sat down during his first few days in office after replacing Steven Gerrard as manager.

The fourth deal of the window – following Diallo, James Sands and Mateusz Zukowski – could be the one that gives Rangers the edge this term. When the stakes are as high but the margins as tight, Rangers need Ramsey’s short stint to be a sweet and successful one.

Supporters were rightly caught up in a wave of excitement as Monday unfolded and it is hard not to buy into the hype. Ramsey may have endured some difficult times of late, but he is still a classy, quality operator and the Juventus midfielder should be at a level above the opposition that he will face in the coming weeks and months.

Big names have arrived on substantial pay packets and with impressive track records before, of course. Some have lived up to the billing, while others have been expensive flops.

Rangers cannot afford for Ramsey to be anything other than a game-changer. He has been brought in to win the title and that, even more so this season, is a non-negotiable for Rangers.

The signing of Diallo last week could prove be just as shrewd. Like Ramsey, the Manchester United kid must provide an instant impact at Ibrox and his debut showing against Ross County was encouraging.

Even before Ianis Hagi was ruled out for the campaign with a knee injury, it had been evident that Van Bronckhorst needed an alternative option wide on the right. In Diallo, he has a creator, a player with pace and a goal threat and the Ivorian’s influence could be crucial in the title race.

The roles that Sands and Zukowski will fill will be very different. The Polish right-back will provide back-up for James Tavernier following Nathan Patterson’s record-breaking move to Everton, while the American midfielder adds competition in a congested area of the squad.

Those signings were made with one eye on the longer term future and are more akin to the transfer model that Rangers have adopted, the one that they must master. There is progression and profit in both if their careers unfold as hoped.

That is not the case with Ramsey and Diallo. It would be wrong to class them as panic buys, but they are an admission that Rangers needed something extra to get them over the line this season.

Every signing is a gamble. With Ramsey and Diallo, Rangers have rolled the dice and gone all in.

The odds remain slightly in their favour in the Premiership. Time will tell whether Rangers are laughing all the way to the Champions League bank this summer.