Philippe Clement doesn’t quite have mission impossible on his hands with the Rangers job but it is still one that even Tom Cruise would think twice about.
The manager saw the goalposts moved on his ability to rebuild the squad and ended the summer without a new winger to replace Scott Wright or a much-needed number six – a position the Gers boss hinted at looking for in the free agent market.
After seeing a poor officiating decision wreck his Champions League and budget dream, followed by defeat in the first Old Firm of the season, the last thing Clement would have wanted is to face the Ibrox masses.
- READ MORE: Rangers Net Transfer Spend Summer 2024
Philippe Clement opens up to Rangers fans
Never one to shirk a challenge, this is exactly what the man in the Rangers hotseat did – here are the five main takeaways, via The Daily Record.
The gap to Celtic won’t be closed overnight
Asked what Rangers needed to do to close the gap on Celtic, he said:
“It’s about working hard with the team and make them gel to create connections.
“The other side of the town have been building their squad for more than one year and playing together.
“It’s normal that they are ahead now. I hate that and I want to change that as fast as possible.”
Clement is right. Celtic have been able to add a £9m player and an £11m player to a squad that won the double.
Not only that, but every Scottish football fan could probably name their best XI.
Philippe Clement doesn’t even know what the Rangers one is yet.
Clement has been working with his hands tied
Can Rangers win the league this season?
“Yeah I’m convinced about that or I wouldn’t be here. Of course it’s a big rebuild. 16 players left.
“It was not also easy to have a good transfer window because 7 players left for zero and had to be replaced by players that cost money.
“We had to cut the wages also because it was not sustainable the way the wages were built the last couple of years in the squad.”
Having to cut a wage bill at the same time as having to replace so many players with a squad that has so few saleable assets is not the sort of position that any manager wants to find himself in.
The profile of the squad is more dynamic, it is younger and has the potential to produce players who could make the club money in the future.
Rangers needed to reset at some point, unfortunately for Clement, it was this summer.
Clement is in it for the long haul
When asked how many transfer windows it would take to get the squad that he wants, the Gers boss shot from the hip:
“You cannot make any prediction about that because first it’s about the finances you have yourself – I don’t know that yet for January – it’s about finding the right players and convincing them to come.
“It has to do with relationships with players and agents and with other clubs also, if they want to let them go or not. It’s impossible to predict that.
“All I can say is we will do it as fast as possible but you don’t have everything in your own hands in that way. You can only work really hard for that.”
The Rangers board revealed their hand when they extended Philippe Clement’s contract.
They have their man and believe in him, even if he hasn’t been given the same resources as his predecessors.
Clement has never tried to pull the wool over the eyes of Rangers fans, even after taking his side to the top of the league last season, he wasn’t happy with how the team was playing.
By being honest, Clement isn’t making excuses, he is explaining the situation that he is having to deal with.
The board might not be so well received when the AGM sits at the end of the year though.
