Glasgow Rangers are on the cusp of something very special at Ibrox if they can maintain their excellent form of late as Philippe Clement has transformed the club’s fortunes.
Prior to the Belgian arriving, Michael Beale had led the Gers to a terrible start to the 2023/24 season. Three Scottish Premiership defeats in the first seven matches looked as though it could derail their campaign before it even got off the ground.
Thankfully, Clement arrived in the nick of time, and he is already beginning to deliver after just a few months at the helm.
With the January transfer window just around the corner, the onus will be on the Belgian coach to sign another few new faces to bolster his squad.
Rangers transfer news
It is natural at this time of the year for the club to be linked with a few players, and 2023 is no different.
Over the previous few weeks, defender Ben Godfrey has been touted for a move to Ibrox, while his teammate Mason Holgate is another centre-back that the club have shown interest in of late.
The most recent rumour surrounding the club is that they are reportedly interested in Portuguese striker Fabio Silva, who looks set to leave Wolverhampton Wanderers next month.
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Clement recently lost Danilo to a serious knee injury which could keep him out until April at the earliest, and this is a major blow for the club.
Not only that, but the Light Blues could also lose Cyriel Dessers and Abdallah Sima to their respective nations when the African Cup of Nations takes place next month, and that would leave the 49-year-old coach short of attacking options.
This issue may have been avoided had Beale made a more concrete effort to sign a player who shone in the English Championship last year, as Viktor Gyokeres was a player the club seemingly showed interest in.
He is now starring for Sporting CP in Portugal and Gers supporters, along with Beale, may now be wondering what could have been.
When Rangers wanted to sign Viktor Gyokeres
The Swedish striker enjoyed a wonderful season with Coventry City during the 2022/23 season as they narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League.
In the Championship, Gyokeres scored 21 goals and grabbed a further ten assists in what was a fruitful campaign in front of goal, and it clearly attracted plenty of interest from afar.
The Light Blues enquired about how much Coventry would expect for a player of his magnitude during the summer and the Sky Blues slapped a £20m valuation on his hand, which was seemingly too much of a fee for the Ibrox side.
It was hardly a likely move in the first place, but signing someone who could find the back of the net as easily as the 25-year-old may have solved Beale’s problems.
Instead, he secured the signatures of Dessers, Sam Lammers, and Danilo, who have scored 14 goals between them throughout the 2023/24 campaign – three fewer than Gyokeres’ total at Sporting in the same time period.
It is clear that Beale had a shocker about failing to try and work out a deal for the Swede, especially with the way he is playing plus the fact he could have secured the Gers a major profit after a couple of seasons in Scotland.
Rangers could have secured a terrific young player, who was coming off the back of a sensational season, with room to grow and, instead, signed then-28-year-old Dessers after his six-goal haul in the Serie A.
Viktor Gyokeres’ season in numbers
The former Coventry striker is in such incredible form that he is currently attracting interest from Premier League side Arsenal ahead of the January transfer window, and it represents a stunning rise over the previous 12 months.
He cost the Portuguese club £20m in the summer, and they will not want to move on one of their prized assets just six months into his stay.
They would have no choice, however, if a potential suitor pays his €100m (£87m) release cause, and it would ensure they received a stunning profit for just a few months of service for the player.
Gyokeres was hailed by his former teammate Maxime Biamou as “unplayable” during his spell in the Championship last season, while manager Mark Robins claimed that he was “one of a kind” earlier this year, and it proves just how big an impact he made at Coventry.
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While the £20m certainly looked lavish, the pressure was on the player to replicate the form he had displayed in England, and with Sporting also playing in Europe, it was a big test.
So far, he has passed with ease. The 25-year-old not only has 17 goals across all competitions, but he currently ranks first across the squad for overall Sofascore rating (7.85), along with ranking first for goals and assists (15), shots on target per game (1.3) and successful dribbles per game (2.5), indicating just how vital he has been for his new club this term.
Not only has he impressed among his own team, but the striker is also one of the best performers when compared to his positional peers across the continent.
Indeed, when compared to other strikers in men’s next top 14 competitions over the previous 12 months, Gyokeres ranks in the top 1% for progressive carries (4.41), touches in the attacking penalty area (8.12), and assists (0.38) per 90 while also ranking in the top 3% for successful take-ons (2.41) per 90 and the top 2% for shot-creating actions per 90 (4.52) and these statistics make him an attractive choice of signing for a variety of teams.
He will only get better too, which is the scary thing, and it represents an opportunity missed that the Gers may look back on in a few years with some regret, especially judging by the mammoth release clause inserted into his contract.
Instead, Clement will have to power on by using the likes of Dessers and Kemar Roofe (when fit) as his attacking options, and it is clear something needs to be done about this next month.
The January transfer window has been rather fruitful for the Light Blues in recent seasons, with players such as Todd Cantwell, Ianis Hagi, and Nico Raskin and someone along these lines who could bolster the squad would be a big bonus in the chase for glory this term.
