As Rangers fans gear up for another potentially busy transfer window, Nils Koppen has delivered an Ibrox reality check.
Whilst Rangers are expected to be busy this winter, with John Gilligan pledging transfer funds, Koppen delivered an unwelcome truth in a recent interview with the club.
Bringing players into Ibrox is all well and good, but Rangers face the very real threat of losing some of their top players when the transfer window opens this January.
So, with Rangers desperately trying to rebuild a flailing player trading model, who are the names Gers fans might see walk out the door come the winter?
Nils Koppen confirms players could leave Rangers
First, let’s take a look at what Nils Koppen had to say about Rangers’ January transfer business.
Asked about the forthcoming window in an interview with RangersTV, Koppen claims that the club have already identified the areas where the Gers need to improve.
But at the same, the Rangers director of recruitment insists that the club be ‘ready to replace’ anyone who moves on with there a firm ‘possibility’ that players ‘will leave the club’.
“Last weekend we had a meeting with the manager and the football board, the board members, to determine the strategy about (the January window),” said Koppen.
“I think we’ve identified the positions at the moment we’re a little bit weak in, understaffed, maybe we need a bit more quality so we know that, we identified that.
“Now it’s about talking about budgets we can spend on that, going on the market and preparing ourselves for that window.
“On the other side there’s also the possibility that players will leave the club so we have to be ready to replace them where necessary. Again we’re working on that.
“The first step has been made and now the recruitment team is active to identify these positions.”
Eight Rangers stars at centre of transfer talks
So there are a couple of things to take from this crucial part of the Nils Koppen interview.
Firstly, and perhaps most excitingly, Rangers have identified their January targets already and are hard at work trying to reinforce the squad.
This buys into the idea that we’ll have a busy January and it’s an encouraging notion for supporters well aware that the club is still in the midst of an ongoing rebuild.
But the comments also suggest that the January window could see several Rangers players leave the club amid interest from elsewhere.
The question then becomes, who?
Rangers fans will look at club captain James Tavernier, who has had to put up with plenty of criticism and scrutiny in the early part of the season.
Strongly linked to Turkey, Tavernier is likely to be subject to exit links again this winter even if we remain unconvinced the Ibrox skipper will leave this season.
Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland is also routinely linked away, with the ex-Premier League stopper a prime asset and a target for Nottingham Forest last January.
Ridvan Yilmaz is never shy of an exit link to Turkey but the routinely injured left-back is desperately trying to work his way back into fitness and into Rangers contention.
Cyriel Dessers too, strongly linked with an Ibrox exit this summer, is another who has been subject to near-constant speculation over his future in recent months.
As for emerging assets, Brazilian left-back Jefte continues to impress since joining this summer and is someone the club value highly.
Ivorian midfielder Mohamed Diomande is also another key asset who will likely have eyes casting glances from across British and European football.
Nedim Bajrami is barely in the door after moving to Rangers from Sassuolo, but the Albanian international is another in the Rangers squad who could be considered an asset.
Hamza Igamane, who has impressed in flashes at Ibrox, has also been earmarked for big things and a big transfer fee in the future but January may come too soon for the striker.
