In his latest in-house interview, Rangers CEO Patrick Stewart hailed the work of Nils Koppen as the technical director’s impressive work in the transfer market continues.
Koppen was key to Rangers bringing in Hamza Igamane, Jefte and Clinton Nsiala last summer – three players who cost a combined fee in the region of £3 million but would command far larger fees these days – as well as what he referred to as the ‘hugely important’ addition of Lyall Cameron from Dundee.
But while the former PSV Eindhoven talentspotter has been tasked with making Ibrox home to rising stars, that does not mean that Rangers do not also see the value of experience.
Liam Kelly was plucked from Motherwell not only to provide support for Jack Butland but also to provide a vocal presence in the dressing room. Vaclav Cerny turned 27 in October and is one of the few Rangers players genuinely operating at the peak of his powers.
31-year-old Robin Propper was the captain of FC Twente, meanwhile. He made over 200 Eredivisie appearances before moving to Glasgow.
Rangers reportedly attempted to add a long-in-the-tooth La Liga veteran to their ranks too, in the shape of Joan Jordan.
Rangers wanted Joan Jordan and now he’s scoring a La Liga brace at Alaves
Now, once Sevilla rejected a loan bid from Ibrox, it became pretty apparent that Rangers were chasing an ‘impossible’ Joan Jordan-shaped dream.
The playmaker took home £30,000-a-week in Andalusia. Sevilla had little interest in subsidising part of his wages in Scotland.
Furthermore, Jordan always wanted to stay in Spain anyway. Amid claims that Rangers were willing to invest £3.3 million to sign him permanently, Deportivo Alaves screwed the final nail into the coffin when eventually agreeing terms in the final week of the summer transfer window.
It’s fair to say, however, that Jordan’s impact at Alaves had been minimal. That is, until last weekend’s crunch clash with relegation rivals Leganes.
The 30-year-old had started only six La Liga matches. What’s more, he was only narrowly passed fit to take on Leganes after a spell on the sidelines with injury.
So with Alaves 2-1 down ahead of his half-time introduction at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque, the travelling fans could have been forgiven for keeping their expectations to a minimum.
Jordan, though, would offer a timely reminder of his talents when tucking away a pinpoint penalty only five minutes into the second-half. And, midway through the final ’45, the former Eibar and Espanyol ace rolled back the years to fizz a thumping first-time shot into the top corner of the Leganes net.
Statistics specialists Transfermarkt labelled Joan Jordan one of the matchday’s ‘outstanding’ performers, despite him only playing one half in an eventual 3-3 draw.
Jordan certainly scored the matchday’s ‘outstanding’ goal, lashed into the postage stamp with brutal efficiency.
Rangers’ Lyall Cameron swoop shows a sustained focus on youth
That is four goals in six starts now. Then again, it is that paltry number of starts which will have the Rangers bosses feeling like they probably did the right thing keeping their powder dry and eventually luring Lyall Cameron – nearly a decade his junior and blessed with a far greater upside – to Ibrox instead.
While Clement has called for more experience to be added to the Rangers ranks, it’s telling that Nils Koppen highlighted Cameron’s youth and longevity as key reasons why the Scotland Under-21 international was snapped up on a pre-contract arrangement.
“I am delighted that we have agreed a deal for Lyall to join the club and to continue his career at Rangers come the summer,” Koppen said.
“He is a talented young player, who has already gained great experience in the Scottish Premiership, and adding young, Scottish talent to our first-team squad is hugely important to all of us at the club.
“Lyall has a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing him continue to grow at Rangers in the coming years.”
