Clement could ditch £5m Rangers star with move for 6ft 3 gem who “looks like Ronaldo” – opinion

Clement could ditch £5m Rangers star with move for 6ft 3 gem who “looks like Ronaldo” – opinion

The Glasgow Rangers are off until January 20.

In preparation for their midseason training camp, Philippe Clement has flown his team to Spain.

The Light Blues have already played 34 games in the first half of the season,

so the Christmas break is well-timed for them to recuperate and refocus before the upcoming few months.

The past few weeks have been fantastic,

with the Belgian coach anxious to win additional trophies,

even if they have already won a League Cup cup and advanced to the Europa League knockout rounds.

But in order to accomplish this, he might have to enter the transfer window and entice some fresh talent to Ibrox;

otherwise, his team might run out of gas before the conclusion of the season.

Josh Doig’s transfer to the Rangers

According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio (via Toro Goal),

Rangers was among the teams interested in signing Josh Doig in the January transfer window.

Torino has apparently begun signing the Scot,

and Clement may have to contend with fierce competition for the left-back position.

Other teams that have been cited as possible suitors are Leeds United and AC Monza.

Whichever team signs him could have to pay €6 million (£5.2 million) for the agreement,

but the Gers might have the advantage.

It appears that Doig’s squad, Hellas Verona, is considering a move for Ridvan Yilmaz,

as reported by Di Marzio. This could work to Clement’s advantage this month.

When he joined the Light Blues from Besiktas in the summer of 2022,

the Turkish defender cost £5 million, which is roughly what the Serie A team is asking for Doig.

If neither party can agree on a transfer fee for their respective objectives,

might a possible swap agreement be in the works?

That may very well be the case,

and in that case Clement may have the ideal chance to let the 22-year-old go and make room for someone else.

Rangers statistics for Ridvan Yilmaz

The teenage defender was signed by manager Giovanni Van Bronckhorst after the 2021–2022 season in

an attempt to provide Borna Barisic with some more competition,

particularly with the departure of Calvin Bassey to Ajax.

Former sporting director Ross Wilson, who stated:

“Gio and I were clear in our desire to invest in a high potential and high-quality left-back,”

heaped praise on Yilmaz upon his arrival.

“With the signing of Ridvan Yilmaz, we have now achieved that.

A gifted young player, he has gained recognition around Europe as a result of his standout Besiktas performances.

Ridvan Yilmaz’s domestic statistics at Rangers	2022/23	2023/24
Accurate passes per game	23.9	24.1
Key passes per game	0.7	1.8
Big chances created	1	4
Possession lost per game	10.8	15.5
Assists	2	1
Stats via Sofascore

He appeared to be a fantastic talent, and there was a lot of expectation that he would eventually replace Barisic,

follow Bassey’s path, and help the club turn a significant profit in the future.

Regretfully, things didn’t go as planned for his first season.

Before the 2022 World Cup midseason break,

the former Besiktas sensation was only able to make six appearances.

His first campaign was further complicated by a hamstring injury he sustained in October,

which caused him to miss 29 games across all competitions.

He was excelling under Michael Beale when he eventually made a comeback towards the end of the season,

starting all five of their post-split games,

and it seemed like he could only become better in 2023–2024.

The 22-year-old has only started eleven games this season,

and Beale even left him out of the Europa League group stage roster,

leaving the Gers with just one veteran left-back option going into the games.

Under Clement, he has shown flashes of brilliance. In the last game before the winter break,

against Kilmarnock, he created a good chance, grabbed an assist,

and provided two crucial passes in a strong attacking performance.

But because of his lack of consistency,

the former Club Brugge coach may decide to fire him this month and entice Doig back to Scotland,

which would increase the number of native players eligible for European fixtures.

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