Last summer it is safe to say that Rangers didn’t get value for money in the transfer window and Philippe Clement will be hoping to avoid a repeat.
Players like Sam Lammers and Jose Cifuentes have left the squad whilst others like Kieran Dowell have hardly played – if anything, the rebuild made them weaker despite spending £21m.
In just a matter of weeks, Rangers will undertake the second rebuild in as many summers after getting the last one wrong which means that Philippe Clement can’t be taking any risks, or can he?
Oscar Cortes caution needs to be made for any Rangers deal
Oscar Cortes looked like the real deal in his seven appearances or 380 minutes, but there is cause for the manager to be cautious when deciding whether or not to take up the permanent option on the Colombian winger’s loan deal.
Speaking a few weeks ago, Clement addressed the 20-year old’s situation and revealed that talks with Cortes are already under way:
“We are talking with Lens about what the situation is because in this situation it is a different situation from when he was fit.
“At the moment he was fit he was showing the right things, but it was really short term. Then it needs to be at the right price.”
Cortes deal looks done but Rangers should be cautious
Oscar Cortes has stayed at Rangers to complete his rehabilitation, something that might be considered stranger when he doesn’t belong to the Ibrox outfit and could have returned to France months ago.
During his convalescence, Cortes has been taking in the sights of Scotland and seems to be settled in his surroundings.
Having been written off for the season by Clement though, why is he still here?
Reading into Clement’s comments, it looks as though an extension of the loan to buy deal that was initially agreed could be a real option for the £3.8m rated winger.
This is exactly what Rangers should be doing too, despite Cortes impressing.
Hamstring surgery is never guaranteed, and he wouldn’t be the first player to continue to have issues once he got back to full fitness.
Age is on his side, but if the option is there to protect the club is there, then it should be taken.
What this also does is, potentially, free up more money that was potentially allocated to sign Cortes on a permanent deal.
There is minimal risk, out with the injury problem, in that Clement and Rangers fans saw enough for everyone to agree that a gem had been unearthed.
With the manager wanting to improve the injury problem at the club, Rangers should be avoiding those with troubled pasts – unless the deal is heavily weighted in their favour, which it sounds like this one is.
