Kris Commons believes Rangers are showing a statement of intent by getting their transfer business underway so early.
The Ibrox club announced the signing of Fashion Sakala on a pre-contract last week and already confirmed Nnambdi Ofoborh from Bournemouth in January.
And Commons reckons it's similar to last summer when Rangers got their work done early and were able to focus on building a good team spirit while Celtic chased their tails for another six months.
The Hoops were slow in getting their signings across the line after winning Nine In A Row and that played a part in their failure to get 10 as Rangers cruised to the title.
Now, Commons fears the same is happening again as he admitted he's jealous of the work being done across the city by Steven Gerrard and Ross Wilson.
Celtic are yet to get a manager or recruitment team in place and Commons reckons it needs to be done quickly or they'll fall further behind.
In his Daily Mail column, he said: "Just as was the case 12 months ago, Rangers look intent on getting their summer transfer business done nice and early.
"The pre-contract signing of Zambian striker Fashion Sakala is a clear statement of intent about how the club will be looking to build on what is already a position of strength. In truth, you could even look as far back as January when they tied up deals to sign Jack Simpson, Scott Wright and Nnamdi Ofoborh.
"Since arriving in October 2019, Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has worked with Steven Gerrard to implement a very clear and defined recruitment structure.
"The club have reaped the ultimate reward by winning this year's league title and they have no intention of resting on their laurels.
"In comparison, Celtic continue to stumble around in the dark. They are about to embark on the biggest overhaul of players in a generation, yet don't even have a manager in place.
"The Eddie Howe saga shows no obvious sign of ending any time soon and it's now getting to the stage where some fans have genuine concerns over whether the deal will happen at all. Celtic are dragging their heels and have no clear plan of action in place, while Rangers are charging ahead with signings for next season.
"Gerrard clearly wants his squad in place by the time the Champions League qualifiers come around. He obviously has no intention of wasting any time."
