Glasgow Rangers slumped to a 2-1 friendly defeat at the weekend as preparations for the 2024/25 campaign get underway.
Only one summer signing featured in the Gers starting XI – Jefte – while Connor Barron and Liam Kelly made appearances from the bench, but it was hardly the most encouraging of results for the Ibrox side.
With just three weeks until the start of the Premiership campaign, Philippe Clement has yet to offload any of his high earners, while failing to really bring much experience to Rangers either.
Of course, he is limited in what he can spend this summer if he cannot raise funds through player sales, but time is running out and the Ibrox faithful fear that they might see some of the same underperformers from last season in the first match of the new term.
Several transfer targets were earmarked for moves to Ibrox, but they failed to materialise for the likes of Damian Garcia and Jose Córdoba a few weeks ago.
Although disappointing, it is perhaps an attempted move for a current Scotland international which could be one of Clement’s biggest failures this summer…
Rangers fall short of signing Scottish international
Norwich City midfielder Kenny McLean emerged as one of Clement’s targets just a few weeks ago and a move for the player looked like a sensible one.
He featured 52 times for the Canaries last term as they narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League, but the Scot proved he was one of their most important players throughout the Championship season.
Indeed, among his teammates, McLean ranked third for big chances created (seven), first for accurate passes per game (54.7), second for accurate long balls per game (4.2) and fourth for tackles per game (2), showing his quality across varying performance metrics.
In June, it was reported that the Light Blues were showing interest in McLean in a bid to add some experience to their midfield area. It is no secret that the player is a supporter of the Gers, which meant convincing him to join the club wouldn’t be an issue in the slightest.
With two years left on his contract, any potential move would have required Clement to pay a fee for the midfielder, yet at the start of July, a swoop for the Norwich City midfielder fell through due to a disagreement between the player and club surrounding wages and length of contract.
Although this is yet another transfer disappointment, might the Belgian forget about the 32-year-old by making a swoop for someone who played in La Liga last season?
Rangers eye move for perfect McLean alternative
According to Fabrizio Romano last week, Rangers had an offer rejected for Sevilla midfielder Joan Jordan, with the Spanish side not willing to pay any of his salary with regard to a potential loan agreement. As such, the deal looked dead in the water.
A fresh report from Seville-based insider Fernando Serrano claims that Rangers are set to make a new offer for the player, although the La Liga side won't be paying any more than 50% of his salary, which means the Gers will be forced to stump up a decent fee to bring him to the club.
In the past, the Gers have signed plenty of players for inflated wages, but Jordan could break the trend by offering some much-needed experience and class in the starting XI next season.
Jon Toral
2017
Arsenal (loan)
Fran Sandaza
2012
St Johnstone
Juanma Ortiz
20211
UD Almeria
Aaron Niguez
2008
Valencia (loan)
Carlos Cueller
2007
Osasuna
Nacho Novo
2004
Dundee
Mikel Arteta
2002
Barcelona
What Joan Jordan could offer Rangers
The 30-year-old has spent his entire career in his homeland, turning out for Espanyol, Real Valladolid, SD Eibar and most notably, Sevilla.
He has made over 300 club career appearances during that time period, scoring 21 goals and grabbing 23 assists. Playing at such a consistently high level in one of the best leagues in Europe proves that Clement should be doing all he can to lure the Spaniard to Glasgow this summer.
What the Light Blues need is a player who can control the game from the heart of the pitch, with the club regularly losing the midfield battles in important matches last term. According to WhoScored, Jordan’s main strength is his passing ability, which will come in handy next season should he join.
Last season, the Spaniard played just eight La Liga games, which was a surprise given that he had made 23 appearances in the same competition just a season before.
During the 2022/23 campaign, the 30-year-old averaged an 88% pass success rate across the entire term, along with making 1.4 tackles per game, losing possession just 7.1 times per match and winning 2.6 total duels per outing, hardly spectacular, but solid in a highly demanding league.
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A loan move would be the best course of action for the midfielder, but it looks as though Clement still has some work to do in order to bring the experienced player to Glasgow.
Rangers Journal founder Kai Watson heaped praise on Jordan following the recent links with the player, saying: “I’ve watched a lot of Joan Jordán in the last twelve hours and I believe he would be a great loan signing.
“He would add quality and experience to a midfield that severely lack it currently. Almost 200 games for Sevilla and a two-time Europa League winner.”
Signing the likes of Barron, Clinton Nsiala and Jefte means the club are establishing a player-trading model which will allow Clement to make substantial profits on these young talents should they live up to their potential.
While Alan Hansen once famously said “you cant win anything with kids” in 1995 before Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson proved him wrong, Clement is in a different boat altogether.
At least three or four experienced signings are required between now and the end of the transfer window if the club want to qualify for the Champions League proper, thus bringing in a much-needed financial boost.
The next few weeks will be vital indeed in terms of new signings, as bedding players in ahead of the season could be vital for Clement.