We get the lowdown from HITC transfer expert Graeme Bailey on all the transfer news at Rangers as fans eagerly await signings at Ibrox this January .
Now working for HITC Football, the established former Daily Mirror journalist is regarded as one of the best sources of transfer news in the United Kingdom and he’s been responding to several high profile Rangers links in the press.
In a special Q&A with Rangers News, we asked Graeme about everything from those links to Lawrence Shankland, reports from South America, and incoming Director of Recruitment Nils Koppen.
Here’s what he had to say.
Graeme Bailey Rangers transfer news Q&A
Hey Graeme! You broke the story about Rangers’ reported interest in Benfica left-back David Jurasek. Has there been any update there?
“Yes David Jurasek, he’s one that is on Rangers’ list. It’s no secret the club are looking for a left-back but Rangers haven’t been able to move Ridvan Yilmaz on yet. At Rangers it’s likely to be a one in, one out situation this January. Borna Barisic might have to go out at left-back, or Ridvan Yilmaz, before they move. You are going to have to cut your cloth accordingly, it’s the same with the striker position. David Jurasek is one they like but it’s the same for a lot of clubs and obviously Benfica have made the left-back available. Once Rangers knew Josh Doig wasn’t going to be an option this January, Jurasek’s name came up and I think it’s one to keep an eye on. He would tick a few boxes.”
Have you heard anything about Ridvan Yilmaz?
“The only thing on Ridvan Yilmaz is that he’s not overly desperate to go back to Turkey at this point in his career. If he’s still around at the last week of the window then he might entertain the likes of Galatasaray as an option. It’s a very frustrating one for Rangers because they had high hopes for him when he signed but it hasn’t happened. I do know Yilmaz prefers the Western leagues, somewhere like Spain or Italy would be more suitable. As it stands right now, Rangers are very unlikely to send him to Turkey. But this window is one where clubs are waiting on that sort of domino effect and the Ridvan Yilmaz situation is very much similar. I think he will be gone from Rangers this window, but we really don’t know where yet.”
Do Rangers have any alternative left-back options?
“Like every club Rangers will have several names on their list but in terms of left-back at Ibrox it’s a particularly interesting one. Rangers would’ve loved to sign Josh Doig but they weren’t in a position to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Marseille. I don’t think the player was keen to move back to Scotland just yet either. There is something in the Cameron Pring thing, whose been linked from Bristol City, whilst West Ham’s Ben Johnson not so much given he’s a right-sider. Again, it goes back to that one in, one out situation in Glasgow.”
What about Borna Barisic?
“It’s a tough one for Borna Barisic because Rangers accept that they probably held on to him for far too long. There’s a general belief that the club should’ve sold him whilst his stock was high. Now he’s 31 and he’s not quite held in the same regard around Europe. I am not convinced you see both Ridvan Yilmaz and Borna Barisic go and I think Barisic might stay. But you never know, if a good enough offer comes in and he’s not in Philippe Clement’s plans, then anything can happen.”
Scott McKenna is another name who has been linked. What’s the situation with the Nottingham Forest defender?
”Honestly? He’s one that had that fall out under Steve Cooper. He’s a Scottish international and a very good player. But I haven’t heard his name much with Rangers. He’s on very good money and he’s been linked to a few top end Championship clubs as well. He’s one to keep an eye on come the end of the transfer window, you never know with a loan, but I am not sure how high up a centre-half is on Rangers’ wishlist. I think either Scott McKenna or Joe Worrall will leave Nottingham Forest this January. I think McKenna is likely to be on his way, probably to the top half of the Championship as he’s not on small money. I think that’d be a tough one for Rangers to complete.”
Rangers were recently linked to Dinamo midfielder Marko Bulat – have you heard anything there?
“I haven’t heard anything on Bulat – not saying there is nothing in it, it’s just I haven’t heard anything at all.”
What about ambitious links to Oscar Zambrano? Rangers have also been linked to Boca winger Luca Langoni. Have you heard anything about the club’s work in South America?
“Oscar Zambrano is one which would be very difficult for Rangers to get over the line. There was talk of a deal with Bournemouth and once a Premier League club gets involved it’s very difficult for Rangers to compete. Luca Langoni is not a regular for Boca, so I’d be very surprised to see Rangers splash out here also. I think you’re going to need Koppen to get his feet under the desk for a few months before we see these sorts of moves. Changes to work permit rules for UK clubs have opened up new markets, not just in South America, and I do think you’ll see more players from different regions being linked to Rangers in the coming windows. At the moment though, it’s a one in, one out sort of deal at Ibrox this January and you are not going to see any great change prior to that.”
There’s been plenty of talk about a Rangers move for Million Manhoef – what have you heard?
“I think Million Manhoef is one of a number of players that Rangers have done work on. Talk of a bid earlier in the window was certainly too strong. Nils Koppen is going to get linked to a number of Dutch players as it’s a market he knows well but no, I don’t think that’s one for this month.”
Lawrence Shankland is probably the window’s stand-out link – are Rangers genuinely interested?
“Lawrence Shankland is absolutely on Rangers’ radar. Speaking to people who are aware of his situation, he is on the list at Ibrox. I think we’ll see also see a Rangers forward move on in this window. Whether that’s Dessers, who it hasn’t quite happened for, I think the club needs to move someone on. I think Rangers will make a bid for Lawrence Shankland this month but yes, it’s not always easy to move players on. Shankland is recognised as someone who could hit the ground running. Keep an eye on it. I think it’s staggering the lack of bids we’ve seen for him so far. He’s one of the form strikers of Europe. I think he’s a very good player. I think there’s a good chance he does leave Hearts. There’s interest from the Championship in England. Rangers are in the hunt but I think they have to move someone out first and if and when they do, Shankland is very close to the top of their list to come in.”
What about those links to Emmanuel Dennis and Michy Batshuyi?
“When I saw the links to Emmanuel Dennis I wasn’t surprised given he’s worked with Philippe Clement before. I don’t think he’s a priority from what I’m being told. Again, he’s one that’s been offered to Rangers. Just like in the case of Michy Batshuayi, players get offered to clubs and agents try to drum up interest. I think Dennis is an expensive one because he’s on such high wages so I don’t really see him moving to Rangers. If the club clear the decks then you never know but Rangers will have to match the sort of money Dennis is on in Turkey. I am not sure I see them doing that.”
Finally, what have you heard about Nils Koppen and his early impact at Rangers?
“I think it’s a very forward thinking appointment. I don’t think Rangers needed a whole lot of work doing in the background. The process that Ross Wilson had put in before was robust and Rangers do have a solid scouting system in the background of the club. It’s an interesting appointment and shows Rangers as being progressive. There’s a few markets that Rangers want to go into and a style of play they want to adopt, so I think Koppen and Clement are very aligned on that. I think the appointment bodes quite well and so far from what I’m hearing Koppen seems to have settled in very well.”
