When Rangers signed Rabbi Matondo, Philippe Clement was still in charge of AS Monaco.
But the Belgian gaffer would’ve caught sight of the winger in the nation’s Pro League six months before making the move to France in January 2022.
Rabbi Matondo was out on loan at Cercle Brugge – Clement’s rivals over at Club Brugge – and impressed so much in a season long stint in Belgium that Rangers reportedly paid Schalke £2.5m for his services in the summer of 2022.
But now that the two are finally on the same side, Philippe Clement appears to be making a breakthrough with the talented young Welsh international.
Philippe Clement praises Rabbi Matondo goal
Scoring a stunning goal against Hibs in the 3-1 win at Ibrox, Rabbi Matondo came off the bench to settle any nerves and secure three points by cutting inside and curling the ball past David Marshall.
It was a moment that gave a glimpse into the talent which convinced fallen German giants Schalke to sign an £11m deal to bring the winger to the club from Man City in 2019.
But these comments from Philippe Clement about Rabbi Matondo working hard on this area of his game, and reaping the benefits, might get Rangers fans excited about the prospect of the winger reaching this potential at Ibrox.
And it’s not just Matondo either; big Phil reckons the entire squad is focused on improving and still has some significant room to step forward into.
“I don’t do it too much with individual players but this is more an individual/collective thing,” said Clement after the victory over Hibs. “I am also really happy with the goal of Rabbi (Matondo) today because for me it was of his biggest working points, to keep controlling his shots.
“In the past I saw him missing too many chances, that he was shooting wild and not putting the ball in control in the corner.
“He’s been working hard with all staff on that the last couple of months and I see more and more goals like that in the training and also in the games now.
“It’s an individual thing towards Rabbi but it’s also a collective thing, because everybody is working really hard on their working points also, in the whole squad.
“And like this there is still a lot of margin to grow with this squad, not only physically but also technically.”
Can Rangers harness £11m Welsh potential?
This all represents quite an exciting prospect for Rangers fans.
There’s a reason why Rabbi Matondo was called up for the Welsh international team during the break and at 23-years-old the winger’s best years are certainly in front of him.
But having settled at Rangers over the last 18 months, now is the time for the lively attacker to put all his energy into progress on the field and against Hibs we got a little glimpse of it.
It’s clear that Rabbi Matondo has long been considered to have big talents; but as of yet no manager has fully accessed them. Clement might be about to change that.
This is the moment for the winger to take that next step in the game and hope is building amongst Rangers fans that Matondo can finally reach his teenage potential.
With several players in the same bracket – Nicolas Raskin, Todd Cantwell, Abdallah Sima, Fabio Silva, and Mohamed Diomande amongst them – it’s a hugely promising sign for supporters.
This is the very beginning of the Philippe Clement era in Glasgow and if we’re excited about Rabbi Matondo’s potential, we also reserve the right to be excited about the team’s.
