Glasgow Rangers started their new era under Philippe Clement with a dominating performance in the Premiership.
The Ibrox side defeated Hibernian 4-0 in Glasgow and the performance, while far from perfect, was a massive improvement from the regular lacklustre showings under Michael Beale.
The 43-year-old had led the club to a woeful start to the 2023/24 season, failing to qualify for the Champions League group stages along with suffering a defeat to Celtic and the writing was on the wall that his tenure could be over sooner rather than later.
Indeed, a dreadful home loss against Aberdeen was the final straw and he was sacked at the start of October.
Steven Davis was placed in interim charge of the Gers for two matches and despite winning only one of these ties, the faith he had in several youngsters was refreshing to see and proves that the chances are there for talented youth products who have shone for the academy recently.
One name stands out more than most, however, as Zak Lovelace has the potential to become a regular in the Light Blues starting XI over the coming years.
How much did Zak Lovelace cost Rangers?
Lovelace made his first team debut for Millwall aged just 15 back in December 2021 after enjoying success in their youth teams and he became the second youngest player in their history.
With Rangers aiming to recruit some of the brightest talents in Britain, Lovelace was earmarked as a potential signing and Giovanni van Bronckhorst secured his signature in the summer of 2022, and due to cross-border rules, the teenager cost the Light Blues just a £100k compensation fee.
It could eventually turn out to be a bargain due to his seemingly limitless potential, and he has already made his mark at Ibrox.
How many appearances has Zak Lovelace made for Rangers?
It didn’t take long for the Dutchman to give the former Millwall starlet his senior bow for the Gers. Just a couple of months or so after joining, Rangers faced Queen of the South at Ibrox in a League Cup tie and Van Bronckhorst heavily rotated the starting XI.
Lovelace came on with just 14 minutes left to make his debut for the club and showed flashes of just why the Light Blues wanted to lure him north of the border.
Throughout the remainder of the campaign, the teenage sensation netted 18 goals for the B team across all competitions – including two in the UEFA Youth League – along with helping himself to ten assists, and it was a stunning start to life in Scotland.
Beale rewarded him by giving the player a cameo against Celtic in May and so far this season, he has featured twice in the Premiership.
He started off brightly against St Mirren, causing their defence plenty of trouble on the right wing and came close to setting up an opening goal with a wonderful pass across the face of the St Mirren goal.
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Lovelace made one key pass and was fouled once, yet he had to go off before the half-time break due to injury and it is unclear when he could add to his four Rangers appearances.
The Belgian will be keen on allowing the young talents to flourish over the next few months and could he even repeat Rangers’ Lovelace masterclass from 2022 as the club are keen on a player who is making a splash down south – Mason Cotcher.
Are Rangers interested in signing Mason Cotcher?
According to the Sunderland Echo, Rangers are showing a keen interest in the 17-year-old who plays for the Sunderland U18 side, but he is yet to feature during the current season.
Clement could face some stiff competition for the youngster however, as Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion are also keeping tabs on Cotcher and the Gunners may have just secured the upper hand with regard to securing his signature.
The teenager was named in the starting XI for Arsenal’s U18 side against Middlesbrough as a trialist just a few days ago as they appear to be stepping up their interest in the striker and Mikel Arteta is trying to lure some of the finest talent in the country down to London.
What is Mason Cotcher’s best position?
The youngster is quite versatile and can feature across the front three, but it appears as though playing through the middle is his favoured position, and certainly the one he has scored the most goals from.
For the Sunderland U18 side last season, Cotcher netted nine goals and grabbed one assist across 21 matches, a more than solid return for the striker, and he could certainly follow in Lovelace’s steps by moving from the Championship to Scotland.
The 17-year-old has also earned national recognition, playing twice for the England U17 side, and he will be keen to make progress up the age groups as fast as possible.
Due to the teenager being on a scholarship deal at the Black Cats, he could technically move away at any time and with the cross-border rules allowing Rangers to potentially exploit situations like this, could they perhaps be in the best position to sign him?
Considering Lovelace only cost £100k, it is possible they could sign the Sunderland gem for a similar fee and much will be made of how interested Arsenal and Brighton are, as they will have to fork out more for his services.
Clement already looks to be eyeing future signings that will add some depth to his youth squads and having given young winger Ross McCausland a run out against Hibs on the weekend, there is a clear pathway from the B team to the starting XI of the first team if players work hard.
This could only be an advantage when going after teenage starlets from English clubs as there is a chance at playing in front of a full house at Ibrox, while potentially featuring in European competition and this is something Cotcher will need to weigh up when deciding his next move.
If he does move to Rangers, it could be the catalyst for plenty more teenage sensations arriving in the coming months.
