ACCRINGTON Stanley owner Andy Holt has slammed a loophole that could see Matt Crooks and Josh Windass leave the club for free this summer to join Rangers.

While the Reds would be due compensation if the two 21-year-olds signed for another domestic club when their contract’s expire in the summer, a move north of the border would mean the Glasgow giants could sign them for free, leaving Stanley out of pocket.

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Crooks and Windass have been Stanley’s stand-out performers this season as John Coleman’s side have mounted a promotion charge.

The Wham Stadium chief insists none of his players will be sold in this month’s transfer window, but he faces losing his star men without a penny in return this summer.

“It’s ridiculous,” said Holt, who has invested £1.2million in the club.

“We could lose them for free and Rangers could resell them and take any profit. They could sell them back to England if they wanted to.

“Because they’re getting them for free they can offer wages that other team can’t offer.

“It’s not about the lads’ rights to earn a living, I respect that and I like them. It’s about what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Windass had never started a Football League game before joining Stanley, while Crooks had made just four appearances for Huddersfield and Hartlepool, and both have developed under the tutelage of Coleman.

“They’ve come a long way at this club, since they’ve been at Accrington it’s transformed them,” said Holt.

“Out of maybe 25 or 30 players, three or four might become big stars and when they move on they pay for the next 30. It’s not about one person and what it costs to train one person. It’s about what it costs the club to operate.

“I don’t like the way the rules are set out.”

Holt is also disappointed at the way Rangers, leaders of the Scottish Championship, have approached the players.

“I don’t like the way Rangers have gone about this, not picking the phone up to John Coleman,” said Holt.

“It’s not illegal but it’s not the way it should be done.

“People are telling me we’re talking to Rangers, we’re not. Whoever is talking to Rangers it isn’t me or John.

“It’s important to make that distinction. I’ve not had the club long and people are saying we’re selling players. We’re not, that’s not what I’m about.”

Despite having the smallest budget in the league Stanley sit seventh in League Two, with either two or three games in hand on all of the play-off chasing clubs above them.

While Holt is delighted to see Stanley moving in the right direction, he is furious that the fact overseas clubs don’t have to pay compensation for players under the age of 24 who are out of contract could leave the Reds out of pocket.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

“What it means to club like Accrington is that we’re always going to struggle, even if we do work hard and diligently to bring players on.

“We’re always under the threat they could leave for nothing. We’re on a treadmill going nowhere.

“It’s basic principles to me and I can’t see why football doesn’t see that. It’s completely wrong and it works against all smaller clubs.

“We want to build Stanley up to something people can be proud off, but people are pulling the rug from under you.”