During his pre-St Johnstone press conference on Friday afternoon, Philippe Clement confirmed what many Rangers fans were fearing.
If last season’s Scottish Premiership runners-up are to bring in any further signings before the window closes – they arguably still need a centre-forward, a natural left-winger and maybe cover at full-back too – then Rangers must first make room in the budget and sell.
“Yes, that’s the case,” Clement confirms, speaking via Rangers’ official YouTube channel.
The problem is, shifting unwanted players out the door brings it’s own set of challenges. Clement insists that those who are no longer part of his plans have been left in no doubt about what the future holds for them at Ibrox. In short, they have no future at all.
But finding a willing buyer is proving to be easier said than done.
Ianis Hagi and Todd Cantwell not in Rangers’ plans
“Some of them know already for a really long time (that they are up for sale). And they’re still in the building,” adds a frustrated Clement. “That makes things more difficult.
“But it is what it is. I cannot put a gun on their heads to get them out of the building. That’s also not the idea.
“It’s what I said about all the other things; It’s not something I can control. So I don’t put any energy in that. All the energy is in the players who are here. The players who will be here. And to get the next result. All the energy is in that.”
Rangers have succeeded in recouping most of their £3 million investment when selling Sam Lammers to FC Twente. Jose Cifuentes, meanwhile, could earn the club a cool £3 million profit if Aris Thessaloniki opt to turn his initial loan deal into a permanent transfer later down the line.
But, with just two weeks until the window closes, Clement still has Ianis Hagi and Todd Cantwell in his roster, if not his squad. And that, for obvious reasons, is a far-from ideal scenario.
Clement has been exiled after informing the manager he wanted to leave.
The former Monaco boss, in his usual blunt tone, also confirmed that Hagi was not in his plans following a highly underwhelming La Liga loan spell with Deportivo Alaves.
Former Ibrox stalwart Derek Ferguson, speaking on the Open Goal podcast, is urging Rangers to do everything they can to get Cantwell and Hagi off the wage bill, though the options available to Clement and co are limited if there is a shortage of genuine interest.
Trabzonspor linked with another Ibrox man
“How are they going to be able to do business? They need these guys to get out the door,” says Ferguson, a two-time Scottish Premiership champion in the 1980s. “If that doesn’t come up…”
The twice-capped Scotland international feels that, given how things have gone down between him and Clement, Rangers fans have most certainly seen the last of a certain former Norwich City playmaker.
“Cantwell is simple,” Ferguson adds. “He’s not getting back in.”
Trabzonspor have been linked with Cantwell, a one-time £40 million Liverpool target. The Turkish Super Lig outfit have already signed Borna Barisic and John Lundstram from Rangers this summer, albeit on free transfers.
As for Hagi, a potential move to Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce have been played down. A return to Fiorentina also appears to be off the cards.
