For Philippe Clement, the Rangers boss once again quizzed on the progress of the club’s January plans, how much money you part with is not the most important thing.
More, the value you can find. How much bang, as they say, you can get for your buck.
Big spending does not always mean big returns, of course. Some of Rangers’ more expensive signings in recent years have also been some of the more disappointing.
In contrast, a host of bargain buys – see Alfredo Morelos, Daniel Candeias, Borna Barisic, Nico Raskin, John Souttar and more – have enjoyed considerably more success.
Clement, then, would not characterise the success of a transfer window by how much money was spent, but by how much quality was secured. And while the Rangers boss makes no secret of his desire for mid-season reinforcements, he also feels that a limited budget can be the catalyst for outside-of-the-box thinking.
Take for instance, the deals which brought Hamza Igamane and Clinton Nsiala to Ibrox.
The former joined from Moroccan football for just £1.7 million, while the latter arrived on a free from AC Milan. Technical director Nils Koppen also uses the example of Rangers left-back Jefte, a reported £400,000 acquisition from Fluminense after a loan spell in Cyprus.
- READ MORE: Rangers Transfer History 2016-Present
Philippe Clement hails bargain signings of Rangers duo Hamza Igamane and Clinton Nsiala
“It is not [about] looking to problems, it’s finding solutions. And it’s also really interesting to find that solutions can also be a big step forward in that way,” Clement says, speaking at a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s Premiership clash with an out-of-sorts Aberdeen side.
“Would we have found Hamza with another budget? Maybe we would have gone for a more expensive striker. And for the future of the club, maybe this was the better decision then. Or would we have found Clinton Nsiala in that way?
“You need to look at what’s possible and then go full for it, and to work hard to make players better, to get a better future for this club.”
At this stage, with half of the window gone, the Premiership’s distant second-place club are stuck in stasis.
Rangers are reportedly leading the race for Dundee’s Lyall Cameron, but no deals appear to be particularly imminent.
“What is close and what is far? You cannot say that in a transfer window,” the Gers boss adds. “You can only say something when something is signed, when somebody is in the building, when everything is done.
“So, we made this analysis of the squad. We looked at players. We know what can be interesting players for the club. It’s now to see with the club if it’s possible to get them.
“Every manager wants more. It’s like that. But I’m focused on what’s possible for a club and then to work with the squad is there to get the best out of that squad. It’s my job.”
Clement highlights improvements of Ridvan Yilmaz and Nico Raskin
For Clement, his primary focus is on reducing the now-15 point gap between Rangers and Celtic at the top of the Premiership table.
Not so long ago, the Gers were trailing Aberdeen in second. Now, they have the chance to go 15 points clear themselves of Jimmy Thelin’s rapidly-sinking Dons.
Rangers CEO Patrick Stewart has attempted to play down fan concerns, meanwhile, highlighting that a run of poor form has coincided with a spate of injury issues. Stewart expects the likes of Igamane, Jefte and Nedim Bajrami to play major roles in 2025, too.
Something Clement agrees with, highlighting the growing influence of last summer’s signings as well as the likes of Ridvan Yilmaz.
“We know how many points we are behind the team who is first, so everything is focused on that. I’m focused on the team and to get results in the next game and to let players grow, becoming better,” concludes the former Monaco coach.
“A lot of people see that also, that Igamane becomes better. Raskin, Yilmaz, Jefte, Diomande, a lot of players [have improved]. But we need to create also consistency in performance.
“It’s my frustration also, in the league, that we lost too many points. In different games, individual errors, we had to chase games. In the beginning of the season, we had difficulty more to score goals in away games, but we kept a lot of times a clean sheet.
“And now, in this last period, with injuries also, we are scoring more goals in away games, but we are conceding also more. So, we need to find this balance and we need to get the squads ready and fit to do this every three days.
“That’s the job to be done.”
