Rangers are going through something of a transition with the final players of the Steven Gerrard and Ross Wilson era gradually being phased out.
In their place has seen a raft of younger players join the squad with the hope that they can bring silverware to the Ibrox trophy room as well as make the club a profit when they leave.
Philippe Clement has worked in similar conditions in the past as a manager and knows the type of player that Rangers need to sign.
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Rangers should consider Jack MacKenzie pre-contract
More homegrown players are needed too with a debutant Scotland call-up fitting exactly the type of profile that Nils Koppen should be targeting.
In Jack MacKenzie of Aberdeen, the Light Blues recruitment director could bring in a few pounds to swell the transfer coffers by picking up a talented left-back on a pre-contract agreement with journalist Alan Nixon via Patreon claiming that English Championship sides are already hovering.
Scotland assistant manager John Carver is a fan and describe the qualities that saw MacKenzie called up to represent his country for the first time:
“It was interesting, because obviously we had the issue with Greg (Taylor) pulling out, and I was going up to Aberdeen anyway, and we’ve had a lot of good reports about him,” he said.
“He’s obviously had a great start with Aberdeen, they’ve had a fantastic start, and they play with confidence.
“I just like the way Jack plays, he’s a front-foot player, he likes to get high, he gets into the final third, he delivers the ball, which is the way we want to play, so it’s a great opportunity for him.
“He came in this morning, and he’s not overawed by the players around him. He’s joined in training this morning and he’s been great. I’m looking forward to see how he can develop.”
Rangers could cash in with MacKenzie move
At 6ft 3inches tall, MacKenzie brings a significant physical presence to the full-back area as well as a positive mentality.
Compare and contrast to Ridvan Yilmaz who, when fit, is a quality player, however, staying fit and availability has been a huge issue since signing from Besiktas.
The Turkey international has been linked with a return home on several occasions and, with Jefte cementing the starting berth, a pre-contract move for Jack MacKenzie could make a lot of sense.
It would allow Rangers to sell Ridvan without the desperation of needing to recoup all of the money spent to bring him to Glasgow – a £3.5m down payment in a deal rising to £5m could easily be covered given the previous interest.
Another homegrown player, on cheaper wages, who would add a set-piece threat and defensive option, whilst allowing Rangers to sell a player they can’t rely on, is the sort of business that Koppen needs to free up as much money as possible and to help reduce the burden on the medical team.
Too many good quality players have left the SPFL from under Rangers nose in recent years, that trend has to be reversed.
Repeating the move to sign Connor Barron to annoy Aberdeen again in the process is an additional benefit.
