Chris Jack reports that Rangers will have seen at least 20 players come and go at Ibrox in the near future.
In an article published on June 17 for the Rangers Review website, the writer predicted that as Philippe Clement continues to restructure the roster, the Light Blues would probably see double figures for both new hires and exits “sooner rather than later.”
Jefte and Clinton Nsiala are the two new players the Belgian has added to his squad. Oscar Cortes was brought back after his loan ended, and Kemar Roofe, Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic, John Lundstram, and Jon McLaughlin were all free to leave because their contracts had expired. Jack continued, saying, “That is the sort of turnover that Rangers require to address the issues within this group and Clement could have no complaints over the backing from the board if they sanctioned that many deals. The group is too big and too expensive.” Philippe Clement is currently undergoing a major Rangers overhaul.
A changing of the guard was supposed to have heralded a new era at Ibrox 12 months ago but it is a mark of the failure that Michael Beale’s transfer window ultimately proved to be that he was sacked by October and that job still needs doing.
There have been too few signings who have made the right impact in recent transfer windows, with arguably only Jack Butland and Dujon Sterling undisputed successes from the permanent arrivals last year.
That’s demonstrated by the fact that, although just signing last summer, Jose Cifuentes has already been loaned out for the duration with the anticipation of a permanent departure at the end, while Sam Lammers is expected to be among the players making up the exit list this summer.
A combination of endless injuries and inconsistent form have meant the likes of Ben Davies, Ridvan Yilmaz, Rabbi Matondo, and even Todd Cantwell potential sales this summer, with all arriving in the past two years.
The fact that Rangers have replaced the manager in each of the past three seasons has also left the squad lopsided and constantly in need of remoulding in the next man’s image.
With the likes of Hamza Igamane, Albion Rrahmani, Connor Barron and Yusuf Kabadayi all potentially arriving in the coming weeks the job of restocking it for Clement will be well under way, but the Belgian has to get it right or he could end up following in Beale’s footsteps next season.
