Aberdeen must receive the Connor Barron compensation fee from Rangers before the winter transfer window opens on January 1.
It is shocking the wait for a fee to be decided and paid has dragged on for more than six months.
Aberdeen chief executive Alan Burrows recently confirmed the Pittodrie board will back boss Jimmy Thelin to strengthen the team in January.
The development compensation fee Aberdeen deserve for youth academy graduate Barron could boost their transfer pot – which is why the SFFL tribunal to determine a fee must happen before the window.
I can’t believe it is nearly the end of the year and the tribunal has yet to take place for a signing which was completed in June.
Hopefully this farcical wait will not drag into the new year – and the transfer window.
Aberdeen would have been entitled to more than £500,000 in compensation if Barron had moved to a club outside Scotland.
However, I believe the compensation fee Rangers should pay Aberdeen should be around £1million, as Barron has been a key player for the Ibrox club since his move.
Connor Barron shouldn’t have played against Aberdeen for Rangers
He has racked up 22 starts under Rangers boss Philippe Clement.
Barron has started seven games in Europe this season and has been hailed as one of Rangers’ top performers.
The 22-year-old also made the breakthrough into the Scotland squad following his move to Rangers.
He was called up to the Scots’ squad for the Nations League games against Poland and Portugal.
Although he didn’t get game time, Barron is clearly in national boss Steve Clarke’s thoughts.
I have no doubt Barron will go on to be capped at senior level for Scotland.
Barron has reached this level due to the investment of time and money put into his development by Aberdeen.
They deserve a development compensation fee to reflect it.
It was also ridiculous Barron played against Aberdeen in the Reds’ 2-1 win at Pittodrie in October.
The midfielder started against the Dons in a match of huge significance to both clubs – yet the Reds had yet to receive any fee for him.
How can that be allowed to happen?
What a joke and it does not reflect well on the SPFL.
Contract talks ongoing with Jamie McGrath and Jack MacKenzie
It was disappointing to see Barron exit Pittodrie as he is an impressive talent with so much potential.
However, his Aberdeen contract had expired, so he was free to move wherever he wanted.
But Aberdeen must get a compensation fee and their wait must not drag on any longer.
While Barron left in the summer, hopefully the Dons hierarchy are successful in their bid to sign Jamie McGrath and Jack MacKenzie on new deals.
Both have deals that expire at the end of the season, meaning they are free to agree pre-contracts with another club when the transfer window opens on January 1.
McGrath and MacKenzie are both fundamental to manager Jimmy Thelin’s starting XI.
It was recently confirmed the Dons remain in “positive” talks with McGrath and MacKenzie.
However, the Reds cannot wait indefinitely for a decision…
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