GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JULY 18: A general view during the pre-season friendly match between Rangers and Newcastle at Ibrox Stadium on July 18, 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Glasgow Rangers, who have already signed their first new player of the winter transfer window, are not displaying any symptoms of complacency.
After Danilo’s injury, Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Fabio Silva has joined the Gers on a temporary loan until the end of the season to increase Philippe Clement’s attacking options.
After winning the League Cup earlier this month, the Belgian coach is clearly not resting on his laurels as he looks to mount a genuine bid for the Premiership crown. This is his first piece of hardware of the season.
In the coming weeks, Silva will be the first of several newcomers to Glasgow. Who will enter through the door after them is the question. Rangers transfer news: With multiple players having expiring contracts, Kai Wagner Clement will not only need to make plans for the remainder of the current season but also for the 2024–2025 campaign.
With only a few months remaining on their contracts, Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic, and John Lundstram are the major first team players. Important decisions must be made as soon as possible.
The Daily Record reports that the Light Blues have recently scouted two defenders: left backs Fredrik Oppegard and Kai Wagner, who are presently on the rosters of PSV Eindhoven and Philadelphia Union, respectively.
Oppegard is the less seasoned and younger of the two, but he may have a larger ceiling in terms of his ability to guarantee the team a healthy profit down the road.
However, Wagner is considerably more experienced than the young Norwegian, and more importantly, he will be free to sign when his contract ends in the New Year. At this point, Clement might find this to be the more desirable alternative. Given the uncertain nature of Barisic’s future at Rangers, it will be up to Ridvan Yilmaz to solidify his position as the Croatian’s replacement.
The Turkish defender’s season hasn’t gone as planned; he hasn’t had as many opportunities as many fans had hoped when he signed last summer, and he might not be a long-term solution.
Rangers facts pertaining to Ridvan Yilmaz
With a transfer cost of around £5 million, the 22-year-old arrived in a flashback in 2022, and lofty expectations were placed on him.
Yilmaz’s hopes of unseating Barisic at left back were severely hampered when, just five games into the 2022–2023 season, he sustained a hamstring injury that kept him out of action for the next 29 games.
Although he did start the last five Premiership games, he would have been very confident going into pre-season and the 2023–24 season.
Regretfully, the left-back’s injury issues returned, and he didn’t play in a game until the beginning of September, that being against Celtic at Ibrox. Since then, Yilmaz has only made 12 appearances and has not been included in the Europa League team at all, suggesting that Michael Beale didn’t exactly trust him.
It is evident that Yilmaz lacks Barisic’s attacking prowess given that he is currently fifth among his teammates this term in terms of successful dribbles per game (0.9), 15th in terms of tackles per game (0.7), and third in terms of key passes per game (1.8).
In the latter half of the season, he should be able to get a consistent run of games under Clement, but it makes complete sense to move for Wagner, particularly since he is a free agent.
Career statistics for Kai Wagner
The German started his career in his native country, playing for a variety of teams including Wurzburger Kickers, SSV Ulm 1846, and Schalke reserves. In 2019, an unexpected opportunity to join Philadelphia in the Major League Soccer emerged. It’s reasonable to argue that the 26-year-old has embraced his opportunity quite effectively. In his 170 appearances for the American team, he has contributed seven goals and 32 assists, or one goal per 4.4 games.
