Nils Koppen came into Rangers with a clear mandate to reduce the average age of the squad and slash the club’s suffocating wage bill.
In doing so, the Belgian was also tasked with signing young players with high ceilings who could go on to kickstart Rangers’ inconsistent player trading model.
The arrivals of Hamza Igamane, Jefte and Clinton Nsiala in particular have breathed new life into the Rangers squad and offered big hope for the future.
But as one of the Gers’ emerging trio is linked with a move to the Premier League, Nils Koppen has previously intimated he won’t be scared to sell.
Jefte a Nils Koppen success story
Brazilian left-back Jefte has been one of the success stories of Rangers’ season to date.
Nils Koppen has had his eye on Jefte since the recruitment guru’s time with PSV and even tried to bring the young Brazilian to Ibrox last January.
Eventually joining from Brazilian club Fluminense in the summer – Rangers unable to break Jefte’s loan agreement at APOEL – it’s been a steep learning curve for the 20-year-old.
Jefte has overcome some early setbacks, the red card shown against Dynamo Kyiv at Hampden a stand-out low, to make the left-back berth his own in Glasgow.
An early season injury to Ridvan Yilmaz, sustained in the same match, thrust Jefte into the deep end and he’s had to learn to sink or swim in the blue sea of Ibrox ever since.
Since then the ‘brilliant’ Jefte has earned plaudits from pundits and managers alike as the young Rangers left-back becomes a fixture of Philippe Clement’s team.
Nils Koppen open to Jefte sale as Chelsea linked
Now, Premier League Chelsea have been linked to Jefte with the Blues considering a summer move for the left-back.
The story first appeared in Brazil before going on to be confirmed by journalist Chris Jack in the Rangers Review.
Nils Koppen – who clearly rates the kid very highly – has previously claimed that if the deal is right for Rangers the club needs to be ‘brave’ and move the defender on.
The Belgian understands that Rangers must sell at the right time if they’re to register more consistent player trading success.
“This summer it was impossible with how the squad was built, the profiles and salary profiles, to get decent transfer fees in,” Koppen told Rangers Review in October.
”It’s also about selling in the right moments.
“If we have a player like Jefte who is doing well and the right offer comes in, we should sell him and be brave enough to say that we can find the next one.”
“You have to let the players go, also because that’s how you attract them, they come with an ambition to go. We cannot force them to stay.
“You have to say to them, come here to be successful and win, but this is not your end station.
“Of course, you need some of these guys, like John Souttar, to stay for a long time at the club.
”Guys who understand the DNA of the football club and can pass that knowledge onto new players. That’s super important.
“But 80% of these players who move to the club should come with the ambition to go.
“Ultimately, that is only achieved by winning and progressing so that everyone can benefit – the club and the player.”
Rangers reportedly paid £680k to sign Jefte in the summer with Fluminense retaining 20% of any future sale.
This means if Rangers were to sell Jefte for £10m, the Brazilian club would recoup £2m of the transfer fee.
