Glasgow Rangers announced their first signing of the January transfer window during half-time of the Scottish Cup clash against Fraserburgh.
Rafael Fernandes was paraded in front of the Ibrox crowd, with the defender joining from Lille on a six-month loan deal until the summer, when the Light Blues have an option to buy.
This could be a smart piece of business. If the youngster does well, Philippe Clement will be able to secure a permanent deal for the centre-back. If he doesn’t, then Fernandes will return to his parent club.
More than one signing will be required, especially if the manager aims to win the Scottish Cup and go as far as possible in the Europa League.
Plenty of players have been linked with a move to Ibrox, but much will depend on Clement’s budget and whether he has significant funds to sign players permanently.
Thinking ahead to the summer is also something the manager can plan. There are several players who the club have been linked with that are out of contract at the end of the season, meaning a pre-contract agreement can be signed as of this month.
Lyall Cameron is one of them and the midfielder would be a worthwhile addition to the first-team squad.
Rangers targeting move for Lyall Cameron
Signing more Scottish talent is something the club should be doing, bolstering their homegrown options in the process which is ideal for European competition.
According to the Rangers Review last week, the Light Blues are showing interest in Cameron ahead of making a potential move for the youngster.
Despite being offered a new contract by Dundee, the Scot is expected to leave Dens Park sooner rather than later. It remains to be seen whether the Gers will make an approach this month, perhaps striking a bargain deal, or if they will just agree terms and bring him to the club during the summer.
Lyall Cameron’s season in numbers
The midfielder has been in fine form this season. Across 28 matches in all competitions, the 22-year-old has not only scored eight times, but the midfielder has registered seven assists, showcasing his attacking qualities from the heart of the midfield.
Furthermore, Cameron has also created four big chances, averages 1.6 key passes per game and registers 1.5 shots per game in the Premiership, indicating that he loves to advance forward into the final third with ease to make things happen for Dundee.
As shown by the diagram below (via Rangers Review), the midfielder gets into excellent shooting positions, taking 34 shots in the Premiership at the time of writing.
Not one to shy away from the defensive duties required to make Dundee a team fighting out for a place in the top six of the league table, Cameron has won 3.8 total duels per game in the top flight, along with recovering 5.4 balls and making one tackle per game.
These all-around qualities mean bringing him to Ibrox as soon as possible is a no-brainer for Clement. That’s a certainty.
While there are some exciting players in this position, including Nico Raskin, Connor Barron and Mohamed Diomande, another Scottish talent wouldn’t go amiss.
That said, the Light Blues lost arguably one of the finest Scottish talents of the previous ten years back in 2017, and he’s someone who offers the same sort of attributes Cameron does.
Rangers already had their very own Lyall Cameron
Billy Gilmour has gone from strength to strength since departing Rangers all those years ago, but imagine if he remained at the club?
Rangers have produced some excellent midfielders throughout the years. From Ian Durrant to Barry Ferguson, there have always been some wonderful youngsters emerging through the youth system.
Gilmour was certainly a player who had a very bright future in the game, and it surely wasn’t going to be long before he made his debut for the Gers. Indeed, it appeared as though the then 15-year-old was going to enter the record books by playing against Hamilton in a Scottish Cup tie in 2017.
Before the game, Graeme Murty told Gilmour he wasn’t going to make the bench for the clash and this heightened his departure, with Chelsea paying a £500k to secure his signature the moment he turned 16.
Frank Lampard gave the youngster his Chelsea debut during the 2019/20 season, giving him the confidence to shine for the Blues.
Former Gers boss Mark Warburton praised the Scot at this stage, saying: “What a talent. I think Scotland have a future world-class midfield player, I really do. Particularly under Frank Lampard, who has so far got the best out of other youngsters such as Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham, Gilmour will undoubtedly let his true potential erupt.”
He ended up winning the Champions League in 2021 before a move to Brighton saw him establish himself as a Premier League regular.
Gilmour has since impressed in Serie A since joining Napoli last summer. Not only has he averaged a pass success rate of 90%, but the former Gers starlet has succeeded with 67% of his dribbles and has won 52% of his total duels per game in the Italian top flight.
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He doesn’t have the same attacking qualities as Cameron, but the technical levels certainly bear similarities, of that there is no doubt. Rangers will certainly regret not being able to keep Gilmour eight years ago.
Maybe leaving Ibrox pushed the youngster to hit new heights, however, and he wouldn’t have won a Champions League winners medal had he not moved to Chelsea when he did.
2023/24 (Brighton)
41
0
2
2022/23 (Brighton)
17
0
2
2021/22 (Norwich City)
28
0
2
2020/21 (Chelsea)
12
0
0
2019/20 (Chelsea)
11
0
0
He is another talent who got away. If Clement can lure Cameron to Glasgow, the 22-year-old could be ready to take the next steps in his embryonic career.
This will see him playing on a regular basis in Europe, while also challenging for trophies during his time at the club.
It’s now over to Clement and Nils Koppen to get a deal completed as soon as possible, otherwise they will regret missing out on him.
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