Something tells us that Rangers’ new Director of Recruitment Nils Koppen might be feeling a little bit pleased with himself at Ibrox.
Having only just officially begun his role with Rangers in January, the ex-PSV recruitment guru was immediately thrown into the Ibrox limelight.
With Rangers smelling blood in the title tussle against Celtic, a successful transfer window might be the difference between title number 56 and our Old Firm rivals closing in our record.
But as January trio Fabio Silva, Mohamed Diomande, and Oscar Cortes find the net against Hearts, Nils Koppen will be happy to see his first Rangers recruits hit the ground running at Ibrox.
Nils Koppen takes Rangers plaudits
Whilst nothing is won in February – well, apart from the League Cup – Rangers’ new blood has helped drive the team to the top of the Scottish Premiership.
The Gers are a team in the ascendency and ahead of what promises to be a tight title run-in, Celtic are just about holding on as the momentum starts to build at Ibrox.
Nils Koppen’s January successes will be judged on how things look come June but for the time being the Rangers director is certainly taking the plaudits.
Andy Halliday had the Ibrox recruitment guru down as his man of the week following the goals from Silva, Diomande, and Cortes over the Jambos.
Outspoken pundit Hugh Keevins claims that the Rangers director’s January success stories have “made a mockery” of Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell.
Gers hit Silva, Diomande, Cortes jackpot?
Before the appointment of Nils Koppen, Rangers chairman John Bennett had claimed that player trading was shifting from a focus to a priority at Ibrox.
The club’s sporadic successes in the transfer market ultimately led to the exit of Ross Wilson and between April and January Rangers worked without a natural replacement.
Koppen joins a newly-formed recruitment board at Rangers which includes several key figures at the club, including manager Philippe Clement, who work together to identify, discuss, and then target future signings.
But whilst the Director of Recruitment title is pinned to the lapel of Koppen, it’ll be the Rangers recruitment guru who gets the plaudits when things go right.
Let’s just hope that the likes of Fabio Silva, Mohamed Diomande, and Oscar Cortes are signs of what’s to come and the Belgian never has to find out what happens when things go wrong.
