Every club on the planet has experienced the heart-wrenching loss of a key player. The trick to surviving the grief, however, is finding a replacement of equal quality. Rangers did exactly that last summer.
The legendary Allan McGregor retired, only to be succeeded by the club’s newly-crowned Player of the Year Jack Butland.
The impending departure of long-serving left-back Borna Barisic, meanwhile, should be offset by Ridvan Yilmaz‘s emergence under Philippe Clement.
Rangers also have purchase clauses in the contracts of Mohamed Diomande and Oscar Cortes, providing a succession plan should John Lundstram and Abdallah Sima move on in the coming weeks.
Now, with Clement’s Premiership runners-up reportedly closing in on their first signing of the off-season – talks with Jose Cordoba are at an ‘advanced’ stage – the challenge facing Levski Sofia is prove that there is life after their star central defender.
Rangers closing in on Jose Cordoba deal
Cordoba was recently named the Bulgarian League’s Defender of the Year for a reason. The colossus at the heart of this Levski Sofia side, finding a centre-half capable of stepping into the 22-year-old’s shoes may be easier said than done, yes, but necessary too.
“It must be seen first what the offers are,” the legendary Levski forward Mihail Valchev tells the Mach Telegraf, via Kota Sport, when asked about the likely departures of both Cordoba and attacker Marin Petkov.
“There are no irreplaceable people in football. Marin and Jose are key players for Levski but there are certainly players at their level or better to replace them.
“If they can sell them for good money, I agree (they should be sold). But players at an even higher level should be signed (in their place).
“The goals for Levski are always high, so maximum-quality players should be signed when there is an opportunity.”
Rangers, according to reports in Bulgaria, have offered £2.5 million for Cordoba. The Glasgow giants reportedly want to get a deal done before Panama kick off their Copa America campaign against Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay on June 24th too, in the knowledge that there is already interest in Cordoba from both Union Saint-Gilloise and French giants Lille.
A left-sided central defender, Cordoba’s arrival may be the beginning of a defensive restructuring at Ibrox. Leon Balogun is 35 and is yet to extend a contract which expires this summer. Errors and injuries, meanwhile, are creeping into Connor Goldson‘s game after he too entered his 30s.
Is Cordoba Connor Goldson’s Ibrox replacement?
Clement, however, was reluctant to give anything away when asked about Cordoba ahead of Saturday’s 2-1 Old Firm derby defeat to Celtic, the result which put Brendan Rodgers’ side on the brink of a title they would seal by hammering Kilmarnock a few days later.
“I have said from the beginning that I will never comment on rumours,” Clement said. “Because, if I had to comment on all of them and, if it was true, I would be training with 300 or 400 players.
“It will not be the case so we will keep control of that. If I say yes we are far down the road with somebody and we don’t get there it’s no use. Then, next moment, I get asked about a player we were never interested in.
“And if I say the same things I am lying and I don ‘t want to do that. I want to stay open and honest so I cannot give comment on these things.”
