For Kris Boyd, the legendary Rangers striker, Philippe Clement’s new signings have been a bit of a mixed bag so far.
In a summer of considerable change at Ibrox – 11 new faces arrived while long-serving veterans such as Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack and John Lundstram all said their goodbyes – it was always going to take time for a revamped roster to settle into place.
And, following a difficult start, things are looking up these days.
If you ignore that Celtic defeat – which is admittedly easier said than done with the pain still stinging – Rangers have now won four of their last five games without conceding a single goal along the way.
Cyriel Dessers hit a brace as Rangers cruised past Dundee on Saturday; 3-0 Scottish League Cup quarter-final victory.
With seven in nine appearances now, Dessers talked up his partnership with Rangers newbie Nedim Bajrami at full-time. It was Bajrami who assisted his second of the afternoon with a fine cross with his weaker right foot.
Left-back Jefte, meanwhile, impressed again on the same flank as the £3.5 million Albania international.
Rangers legend Kris Boyd hails Jefte and Nedim Bajrami
Jefte certainly had big boots to fill when replacing Barisic.
But showcasing the sort of technical ability and self-confidence you would expect from a man hailing from the land of ‘Jogo Bonito’ – Rangers’ Jefte idolises Real Madrid icon Marcelo for his ‘skill’ and ‘creativity’ – the former Fluminense youngster continues to prove himself as not only a decent one-v-one defender but also a real threat going in the other direction.
And Boyd, speaking after Rangers moved on step closer to defending their League Cup crown, could not speak highly enough of Bajrami’s full debut or Jefte’s rapid-fire emergence as one of the best bargain buys in recent transfer windows.
“I think, when you bring in new players, you want them to hit the ground running,” the legendary Rangers striker says. “And Bajrami has done that.
“I must say as well, Jefte has got something on that left-hand side. He fires some unbelievable balls in!”
In addition to Bajrami and Jefte, Hamza Igamane is starting to turn heads as well.
Rangers boss Philippe Clement is keen to preach patience with Igamane. He is, after all, a 21-year-old centre-forward completely new to the European game after arriving from Moroccan football. But excitement is growing after a few eye-catching cameos, and with good reason.
Connor Barron, meanwhile, already looks like Rangers’ go-to midfield general for years to come.
And, despite a hit-and-miss start, occasionally Vaclav Cerny has shown why ex-Ajax boss Erik ten Hag called him ‘special’ with a few stand-out moments of quality on that trusty left boot.
But there is still one member of Rangers’ new recruits who is yet to really win over five-time Premiership Golden Boot winner Boyd.
Boyd not yet convinced by Rangers defender Robin Propper
Robin Propper lauded that partnership with Jefte and Rangers stalwart John Souttar last week. In their four of their last five games, the Gers have kept a clean sheet.
But the former FC Twente captain – who started out in Scotland with a calamitous own goal on his first start against Motherwell – has a long way to go before Boyd is ready to consider him an upgrade on Goldson at centre-half.
“Propper, I am still not fully convinced about,” adds Boyd, who remains overall pretty positive about the direction his old employers are heading following four wins in five.
“But I think, for Rangers going forward, there is enough there to create opportunities. [Their current form] is a building block for Rangers.
“The next game, can you get the three points in Europe on Thursday night and then against Hibs as well? It’s step by step. You’ve got to rebuild that confidence.”
Rangers travel to Malmo for their Europa League opener later this week before hosting Hibernian at Ibrox.
