Philippe Clement admits that he hasn’t always got the big calls right at Rangers but the Ibrox manager is convinced the club is on the right track.
Speaking ahead of the thumping 3-0 win over Aberdeen, Philippe Clement was vindicated come the full-time whistle at Ibrox as his young squad purred to victory.
But heading into kick-off, Philippe Clement’s starting XI turned heads amongst Rangers fans not for those who were included, but rather those who were missing.
And it appears that whilst Big Phil certainly has his own mind at Ibrox, he appears to have heeded some advice when it comes to two of the club’s highest earners.
Rabbi Matondo demotion a ‘sportive choice’
The absences of Kieran Dowell and Rabbi Matondo caught the attentions of Rangers fans and Philippe Clement offered an explanation come full-time.
Asked specifically about Matondo, Clement explained that the winger had been dropped purely for ‘sportive reasons’.
The Rangers manager also claimed that the likes of Zak Lovelace and Bailey Rice had been performing to a higher level than Matondo at Auchenhowie.
It comes with Rabbi Matondo strongly linked with a January loan exit and Rangers looking to reshuffle their squad during the transfer window.
“I cannot give any update about loans or not, or players going or not, until something is concrete and it’s not the case for the moment,” Clement said at full-time.
“I can say about Rabbi that I made a choice, a sportive choice today to put two young lads because I think they are performing for the moment better.”
Signed on a £2.5m deal from Schalke 04 in 2022, Matondo has not lived up to his price tag or hefty £23k per week (£1.2m per annum) wages over two and a half years at Ibrox.
Kieran Dowell also dropped by Rangers
You don’t have to read between the lines to understand that Kieran Dowell is likely in the same boat.
Philippe Clement has been criticised for preferring Dowell to the likes of Bailey Rice in recent matches and now the message his finally gotten through.
Andy Halliday lambasted Philippe Clement for giving chances to Kieran Dowell over Bailey Rice, echoing the views of many Rangers supporters.
“Kieran Dowell, in the eyes of Rangers fans, does not have a future at Rangers,” Halliday argues. “If he’s getting any minutes, for the most part it’s meaningless minutes.
“You’re giving [Bailey] a chance [instead], if they are 3-0 up against St Johnstone, he’s getting half an hour at the end of the game
“Twelve [sic, 13] games [Patterson] played, and they sold him for £12 million. You don’t need to be amazing for four or five years to get moves. Clubs just need to kind of put them in the shop window for half a season if they are doing well.”
Kieran Dowell joined Rangers in the summer of 2023 after his contact expired at Norwich City but the midfielder has struggled to hold down a first-team place.
Playing only 21 minutes of action across 12 Premiership appearances this season, Dowell is also failing to live live up to his £16k per week (£830k per annum) salary
With both players costing Rangers a combined £2m per season not to contribute, Philippe Clement’s comments suggest their cards are marked.
