Philippe Clementof Glasgow Rangers are yet to make their first signing of the January transfer window after opening for business midway through last week.
The Light Blues boss was in charge during the winter season last year and has teamed up with Nils Koppen to bring three new players to Ibrox to strengthen the squad.
Fabio Silva, Mohamed Diomande and Oscar Cortes all arrived on short-term loans in a bid to improve the squad for the second half of the season and helped the Gers reach the SFA Cup final.
The Gers were beaten by Celtic on penalties in the League Cup and already trail their rivals in the Scottish Premiershipmeaning they made additions to fight for the SFA Cup and Europa League to avoid ending the season trophyless.
Clement may want to make a signing or two to boost his squad, as they did with Diomande, Silva and Cortes last year, before doing more work in the summer window.
One player who has been a new signing for Rangers is attacking midfielder Ianis Hagi, who has returned to the club after a cold start to the campaign due to a contractual issue.
Ianis Hagi’s form this season
The Romania international produced another impressive attacking display for the Light Blues in their 3-3 draw with Motherwell in the Premiership at Easter Road on Sunday, although he conceded a soft penalty in the second half.
It took just four minutes for the dynamic playmaker to make an impact on the match, his cross from the left by Hamza Ighamane putting Rangers 1-0 up in the match.
Haggie made sure to continue his excellent form in the 3-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox the previous game. The midfield star opened the scoring in that match with a fantastic left-footer into the bottom corner early on.
He has returned to the team to provide a fantastic creative presence in attacking midfield roles, while he can play as a number ten or left winger in Clement’s formation – offering tactical flexibility as well as technical quality.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Ianis Hagi |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
10 |
|
It starts |
7 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Great opportunities were created |
4 |
|
assist |
4 |
As you can see in the table above, Hagi has already amassed four ‘big chances’ and four assists in just seven league appearances for the Light Blues this season, which shows that he has provided consistent creativity.
The 26-year-old whiz has also won 56% of his duels in the Premiership and it shows the striker has held his own in physical matches, rather than being light out of possession.
Rangers could, now, land a dream signing to play alongside him at the top of the pitch, diving into the market to land one of the club’s reported targets.
Rangers’ interest in new forward
South African news outlet SNL24, via the Scottish Sunreported last month that Rangers are interested in signing centre-forward Iqraam Rayners, who currently plays for Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa.
The publication claimed that the Gers have already made inquiries about a potential deal to bring the experienced striker to Ibrox ahead of the second half of the season.
He revealed that the Scottish giants are yet to make a formal bid to test his club’s resolve, but are monitoring his current situation with a view to pursuing his signature.
The publication did not, however, reveal how much money Mamelodi Sundowns would ask to allow their star man to leave during the January transfer window, so it is unclear how much money Rangers will have to spend if they want to add him to the list their. group.
Cyriel Dessers was associated with a movement at Saint-Etienne in recent weeks and Rayner could come in as a replacement for the Nigeria international if he moves from Glasgow before the end of the window.
Why Rangers should sign Ikraam Rayners
The Scottish giants should move to bring in the 29-year-old striker to replace Desceres if he leaves, as an experienced player could be a sensible addition in that position.
Danilo, 25, and Hamza Igamane, 22, are closer to youth than experience and having a bigger head in that area of the pitch could be important to their development as they could learn from him in training and matches.
It would also provide Clement with a striker who could play at the end of games to see them out as Rayners has been around the block and knows what it takes to see games out.
His form for his current club also suggests it could be a dream for Haggie to play alongside him, as the South African star, who was described as “impressive” of journalist Joshua Hendricks, has been prolific in recent years.
Before moving to Sundowns in the summer of 2024, Rayners produced 38 goals and 18 assists in 81 appearances in all competitions for South Africa’s top club Stellenbosch FC.
|
24/25 Premier Division |
Iqraam Rayners |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
10 |
|
Goals |
6 |
|
Big opportunities missed |
1 |
|
Conversion rate |
40% |
|
assist |
1 |
As you can see in the table above, the 29-year-old star has been incredibly prolific in the league this season, scoring six goals and missing just one ‘big chance’ in his ten appearances.
He has scored 13 goals in 18 matches for Sundowns in all competitions, after netting 17 times in 38 games last season, and perhaps that’s why Rangers are monitoring his situation if they need to look for a striker this month.
Whether or not his form would translate from South African football to Scottish football remains to be seen, but Igamane came direct from Morocco and has produced ten goals and two assists in his last 11 games for the club, which shows you can’t always judge players on the level they come from.
Related
Reiners could step in as an experienced leader in the dressing room and a clinical finisher on the pitch to make the most of Hagi’s impressive creativity, which is why Clement should sign him and why the Romanian wizard would find him a dream to play with him.
2025-01-06 06:40:00
