Philippe Clement isn’t hanging about this summer. Glasgow Rangers have yet to even start their pre-season preparations, but the Belgian has already made two signings, with a third potentially on its way.
Reportedly, a fee has been agreed with Bayern Munich in order to bring pacy winger Yusuf Kabadayi to Glasgow, and it looks like yet another case of Clement signing a highly promising youngster who could blossom into an excellent player.
This transfer strategy could pay dividends further down the line, but the 50-year-old will also be eyeing up a few experienced heads.
Plenty of incomings also suggest several departures ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. Both James Tavernier and Connor Goldson have been linked with an exit, as former Gers chief Steven Gerrard has expressed an interest in signing the duo for Al-Ettifaq.
Clement must not bow down to sentiment this summer, while Tavernier and Goldson are not the only senior players attracting interest…
Rangers could sell 23-cap international this summer
In perhaps a surprise piece of news, Tom Lawrence is a player who appears to have attracted interest recently.
Former Rangers manager Giovanni Van Bronckhorst has taken over at Turkish side Besiktas – his first club role since being sacked by the Ibrox side in November 2022 – and his first task will be to bolster his first-team squad.
According to the Daily Mail (via the Daily Record), Besiktas are keen on bringing Lawrence to Turkey this summer, but they are not the only team showing interest in the former Derby County maestro.
Newly promoted Ipswich Town are admirers of the Welshman, while Sheffield United – recently relegated from the top flight – are also monitoring developments, according to the report.
Lawrence is entering the final year of his contract and Clement will be keen to avoid a repeat of what happened last month, as five players departed for nothing once their deals expired.
This summer represents the last realistic chance of the Light Blues receiving a decent fee for the 30-year-old. Considering they signed him on a free transfer, anything will represent a profit, and perhaps it is time for him to say his goodbyes.
Tom Lawrence’s season in numbers
When he signed for Rangers in the summer of 2022, it was looked upon as a statement of intent. This was a player who had scored 37 goals and grabbed 25 assists across 185 matches for Derby, along with featuring in the Premier League for Leicester City earlier in his career.
After a solid start to his spell north of the border, scoring three goals and registering two assists in his first nine matches, the midfielder suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury which halted his impressive start.
It was a familiar site for the Ibrox faithful, signing a player who enjoyed a decent start before suffering a major injury, missing plenty of matches in the process. But Lawrence spent the summer recovering before being gently introduced back into the first team setup during the first half of the season.
Overall, the former Manchester United youngster made 32 appearances, registering six goal contributions in the process. A solid, if unspectacular effort, but hardly earth-shattering.
Given his age, prior injury problems and the fact he is out of contract in 12 months’ time, surely moving him on this summer would be accepted as a wise move by Clement from the demanding supporters?
Metric
Premiership
Europa League
Goals
2
1
Assists
3
0
Key passes per game
1.1
0.8
Big chances created
4
0
Successful dribbles per game
0.7
1.2
Shots per game
1.7
1.4
Via Sofascore
How much Tom Lawrence earns at Rangers
By selling Lawrence, his eye-catching £22k-per-week wages could be freed up and utilised on a younger, more sellable asset.
Remarkably, this wage is also the same as what Dujon Sterling earns for the Gers, and the former Chelsea youth talent made quite an impression in his maiden season in Scotland.
Sterling was one of Michael Beale’s first signings for Rangers, arriving last summer on a pre-contract deal from Chelsea.
He had enjoyed plenty of senior action across various loan spells in the Championship and Beale was looking for a defender to bolster his squad depth.
He didn’t quite make much of an impression during the first few months of the season, starting just twice under Beale before he was sacked after a 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen at the end of September.
Following the announcement of Clement as manager, however, Sterling began to make much more of an impression, showcasing his versatility under the former Club Brugge manager.
Between mid-October and the end of the campaign, the 24-year-old played in six positions, helping out whenever required, and he didn’t complain about it whatsoever.
With an injury crisis engulfing the squad leading into the League Cup final a week before Christmas, Sterling started the game at the heart of the midfield, delivering a stunning man-of-the-match performance which endeared him to the fans.
Rangers hit gold on free signing whose value's soared 250% this season
The Light Blues struck gold when they swooped to sign the impressive ace for £0 last summer.
ByDan Emery
Judging by Sterling’s impact, versatility and no-nonsense attitude, his presence will be required during the 2024/25 campaign, especially as his value continually rises.
Lawrence, on the other hand, has seen his market value dip considerably since joining the Light Blues two years ago. Just months after arriving in Scotland, he was valued at around €2m (£1.6m) by Football Transfers in November 2022.
His market valuation at the time of writing? €0.8m (£675k) and it isn’t going to get higher, that’s for sure.
This clearly suggests that if Besiktas make a decent offer for Lawrence, Rangers must accept, using the fee to bolster their squad in the process.
Clement has a clear transfer strategy, which has been evidenced by his first two signings of the off-season – Jefte and Oscar Cortes – who are both wonderfully talented youngsters with the capacity to improve rapidly if they are exposed to regular football at the club.
This could see moves for players like Lawrence ruled out in the future. The Welshman has shone in spells for the club, but you doubt there will be too many tears if he moves on in the coming weeks.
