Mauro Zarate's loan deal from West Ham will come too late to play him in Rangers' FA Cup tie with Sheffield United on Sunday.
Boss Harry Redknapp revealed the switch is not signed and sealed, and in any case he wants the Argentinian to acclimatise with his prospective new team-mates before he lets him loose in the team.
Harry added: "We can't play him in the Cup, because we need seven days to register him. We also want him to have a few days with us first in training."
The manager takes his squad away to an hotel this evening, praying the racket on New Year's Eve doesn't disturb the beauty sleep of a team needing three points at home to Swansea tomorrow and revenge the 2-0 away defeat to the Swans at the beginning of December.
He said: "It's diffcult. Hotels have functions on a night like this and there's plenty of noise. We will have finished dinner by 10pm and the players in their rooms. So we'll see."
Redknapp has passed a clean bill of health to all those who featured in the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday, and will be close to naming the same team, although he is less than pleased with the current state of the Loftus Road pitch.
He explained: "We had a new pitch laid, but at the moment it's not conducive to passing football. For whatever reason it hasn't worked."
