Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen won’t be getting much sleep in the next couple of days with Rangers still needing players in.
The manager was optimistic at the weekend when asked about possible new recruits, however, four days later and there have been no Ibrox presentation pictures.
The squad is in desperate need of repair but the sight of Nedim Bajrami being linked with a loan to buy move to Rangers is one that will lift spirits and the quality available to Clement.
Nedim Bajrami shows qualities Rangers have been missing
Swiss born Albanian Bajrami has proven his quality on both the domestic and international stage with his performances in the European Championships catching the eye for more than one reason.
The first, was a record-breaking goals scored against Italy after just 23 seconds, which made it the fastest in the tournaments history.
This is the sort of composure that has been missing for a long time in Rangers attack.
Then, there was his goal of the tournament contender against the Czech Republic, an absolute screamer from over 25 yards.
When was the last time you saw a Rangers player score a goal like this?
A Rangers number 10 should score goals and get assists, Bajrami got double figures for both in his first season in Italy but has been unfortunate since in terms of the clubs he has been involved in.
A move to a team who dominate possession could see him realise his potential again and the sort of performances he put in for Albania in Germany during the summer.
Quality addition is immediate upgrade for Rangers boss
Philippe Clement believes in his own ability as a coach and in his players.
Looking back to before Rangers were knocked out of the Champions League by Dynamo Kyiv it was clear that he backed his side to get the job done:
“I always believe that with your squad you can succeed, because otherwise, you cannot get results against Real Madrid with a team like Brugge.
“Everyone said that was impossible. But if you don’t believe it is possible, it will never happen.
“So it’s about the mindset of the players. They must believe in themselves and be hungry to become better because it’s not only about quality, it’s about work rate, it’s about mentality, it’s about what you do every day. I’ve seen players that are now better than they were six months ago.
“We’ve been working hard for that kind of mindset in all the players who have come in. We want them all ambitious to become better and with all the staff together we can give them the tools to become better.
“So in that way, I believe that with whatever squad we have at that moment will have the ability to qualify. But everybody needs to be at their top and the more quality you have, the better your chance.”
Mindset can be the difference between making it at Rangers or not, but players need to have quality too.
As Clement said though, the more players he has at his disposal who have played at a higher level and who are better than he currently has, the better the chance he will have of bringing success back to the club.
With a deal said to be close, Nedim Bajrami could be everything that Rangers hoped Todd Cantwell would be as his exit to Blackburn Rovers frees up the space to bring the Albanian to Glasgow.
