At the end of Michael Beale's tenure, Rangers found themselves in no-man's land with not much of an idea as to what would come next. The former Queens Park Rangers boss never truly made his mark at Ibrox and went out with more of a whimper than anything else. In need of a new era, that's where Philippe Clement came in, and ever since, the Gers have looked far closer to the side capable of winning the Scottish Premiership.
The Belgian has got off to the perfect start in Scotland, remaining unbeaten in five games and winning four of those, including a Scottish League Cup semi-final over Hearts. Things look likely to get even better under Clement too, with January transfer plans already in place.
Rangers transfer news
Rangers didn't spend well under Beale, especially during the most recent summer transfer window – new arrivals such as Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers are yet to really get going, having scored five Scottish Premiership goals between them in 11 appearances apiece. Under Clement, the Gers have the opportunity to right their summer wrongs and hand the former AS Monaco boss some much-needed reinforcements ahead of what would be a surprise title comeback in Scotland's top flight.
According to TeamTalk, Rangers are working on a number of January transfer targets and Clement has been left buzzing by their promise to back him in the market. The new boss is reportedly looking for three key attributes – power, pace and attitude – as he looks to improve the athleticism of the current squad. Given that Clement has already enjoyed an unbeaten start to life at Ibrox without any reinforcements, the mind naturally wonders just how well Rangers will perform once he has his desired players.
As things stand, it remains to be seen just who Rangers will welcome in January, but the fact that they are aiming to back Clement – and specifically his style – can only be seen as a positive.
Clement to work closely with Rangers Sporting Director
Reportedly looking to add speed, strength and work rate to his Rangers side, Clement may well get his wish come the start of the January transfer window. It's no real surprise that it is pace and power that he's looking for, given that the Gers lost Ryan Kent during the summer. The former Liverpool winger would have ticked at least two of Clement's boxes when it comes to reinforcements, and now Rangers could finally get a replacement for their former star man.
Clement recently spoke about potential January transfers, saying via Rangers review: "I was a part of it, like many parts of it. I like to see first what the potential is there already. I don’t want 10 new players every year and make lots of changes. I want to find the key to get the best out of people. We want to use the next weeks and months to do that in the best way.
"With me, every player starts with a blank slate, maybe not with the fans but that's a different conversation. They'll all get the chance. It is important to be aligned with the sporting director and have the same ideas about football. If it is someone who has totally different ideas about football then it does not work, we spoke about that also in the process. It is good that everyone is aligned, and we had really clear conversations about that."
