Philippe Clement has inherited a Rangers squad that should be well balanced and in good condition after a summer rebuild, if anything, it is in even worse condition than when the exodus began at the end of last season.
There will be seven players who are out of contract at the end of 2023/24 and a decision will have to be made on all of them as to whether or not they should be offered new deals.
For many, it will be an easy one to make but Philippe Clement will have to decide who, and who doesn’t, have a future at Rangers.
Philippe Clement has Rangers contracts decision to make
First of all, all of the players are over 30, so straight away, there will be no real sell on value to protect for any of them.
At the very least, the new Gers boss will be able to clear some dead wood from the squad and replace players on decent money with younger, fresher ones who can play a key role in his revolution.
According to Salary Sport, Philippe Clement could clear some £75,000 from Rangers wage bill if he decides not to renew the contracts of Steven Davis, Borna Barisic, Leon Balogun, Ryan Jack, Jon McLaughlin, Kemar Roofe and John Lundstram.
That list goes from seven to four pretty quickly by accepting that Davis, Balogun and McLaughlin won’t be at the club next season, in a playing capacity at least.
Roofe isn’t Clement’s type in that he just can’t be relied up to be fit.
A last resort hip operation hasn’t cleared up his persistent calf problems and it would be reckless to offer him a new deal – which leaves three names.
Barisic, Jack and Lundstram.
The cost of replacing Barisic with someone better might depend on the future of Ridvan Yilmaz, but it isn’t a priority.
Give him another year but identify a replacement, just in case.
Jack is more complicated.
His availability has been ok, almost good for him given his previous history, but it is the negligence of previous managers that might see him given another contract.
In short, Philippe Clement doesn’t have enough home-grown players in his Rangers squad and needs Ryan Jack to help fill UEFA quotas.
Out of the seven players, John Lundstram is the only one who is earning a new contract.
Outstanding since Clement arrived, he seems to be thriving in the Belgian’s more aggressive approach and has taken on extra responsibility.
Philippe Clement has his work cut out getting a tune from the Rangers squad he inherited but picking a team from week to week isn’t the only big call he has to make.
