The final day of the winter transfer window, from a Rangers perspective, is more about who stays rather than who signs at Ibrox.
With Rafael Fernandes the only arrival so far, despite Rangers’ attempting to bring in Yorbe Vertessen from Union Berlin, much of the column inches have been dominated by rumours regarding who could potentially be on their way out of Ibrox.
Rangers let Kieran Dowell move on loan to Birmingham City last week, Philippe Clement would later explain, in an attempt to promote 18-year-old Bailey Rice to the first-team squad. Rabbi Matondo moved to Germany with Hannover after talks with Cardiff City collapsed.
But with interest arising in Cyriel Dessers, Jefte and Ridvan Yilmaz, while Rangers were happy to let the seldom-seen Dowell and Matondo go, losing one of Clement’s key players with so little time to find a replacement would be a less-than ideal situation.
Fortunately, it appears the Gers faithful will not have too much drama to distract them from their Monday chores.
Ridvan Yilmaz to stay at Rangers despite Besiktas claims
Cyriel Dessers looks certain to stay in Glasgow following a dramatic turnaround in form. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca does not expect deadline day signings at Stamford Bridge despite ongoing links with Jefte.
And, despite claims from Turkey that Ridvan Yilmaz was keen on swapping Rangers for Besiktas, the Daily Record have been told the opposite.
The Record insist that, having spoken to Yilmaz’s representatives, not only is the left-back content with life in Scotland, there is absolutely no chance he boards a flight from Glasgow to Istanbul before the close of play on Monday.
Now, with the Turkish window remaining open until mid-February, rumours linking Yilmaz with a return to his former employers may rumble on. But it’s hard to imagine Clement, Nils Koppen and co green-lighting a sale when there is no chance of bringing in an immediate successor.
According to reports, Rangers turned down a loan bid from Super Lig giants Besiktas. They value Yilmaz at around £4 million, but the club who handed the Turkey international his debut only have £2.5 million to spend on new recruits.
Ridvan Yilmaz reportedly rejected a move to Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, too, as well as the chance to reunite with former Gers teammates Borna Barisic and John Lundstram at Trabzonspor.
“The football player Besiktas are keen on is Ridvan Yilmaz,” Turkish reporter Gokhmen Ozcan said last week. “Fenerbahce wanted him. Trabzonspor wanted him too, they have always asked for it.
“[Yilmaz] always said; ‘No, I will stay here’. But, when we look at the current situation, Yilmaz is positive about returning to Besiktas.
“If Ridvan comes here, he will be the first-choice. I think he will come to Besiktas and be in the starting XI and make an important contribution.”
Philippe Clement says Yilmaz missed Ross County clash through injury
With sources far closer to home clearing up any lingering uncertainty, however, Rangers will still be able to call upon a very useful squad player between now and the end of May.
Philippe Clement has been full of praise for Ridvan Yilmaz and his new-found versatility in recent times. The £3.5 million acquisition stepped in for James Tavernier at right-back and even played further forward in the Europa League against Tottenham Hotspur.
His absence from Rangers’ 4-0 win over Ross County on Sunday, meanwhile, was due to concerns over his fitness rather than any impending transfer.
”He’s injured,” Clement reporters, while insisting that Rangers would only sell if they could find an upgrade on the market. “We can only let players go that perform well if we can replace them by better players.
“I don’t expect that in the case of Ridvan.”
