When Nils Koppen joined Rangers at the beginning of January, the Belgian must’ve known he had quite the job on his hands at Ibrox.
Whilst Philippe Clement has been outspoken about the desperate contract situation at the club, one suspects the PSV recruitment guru was given a mandate before signing on.
Club chairman John Bennett – hinting at the appointment of Koppen following the release of the most recent accounts – was clear that a more aggressive player trading model was now the focus of the club’s board.
Rangers are facing ‘quite a rebuild’ this summer with several experienced players likely to be heading out the door at the end of their contracts.
There are also major questions marks about others in the playing staff whilst the Rangers manager has been clear that this squad does not have the athleticism or robustness to compete across the rigours of a season.
Now, after getting a small glimpse of Nils Koppen’s ideas in January, the vision that the club’s director of recruitment has for Rangers is coming further into full view.
With three players already reportedly some way down the line, loud murmurs around another two, and plenty of transfer links surrounding Ibrox, the sounds suggest we really are taking a new direction.
Rangers transfer business ramps up
Whilst nothing is official until the scarf is above a player’s head, a clichéd term you’ll hear from us a lot this summer I’m sure, three names have emerged in recent days.
The most prominent is Panamanian centre-back Jose Cordoba, with reports suggesting a £3.2m deal has been struck with Bulgarian side Levski Sofia.
Between social media hints and the 22-year-old defender being given the Ibrox treatment, whilst nothing is confirmed just yet this move looks to be edging closer to completion.
Then there is Brazilian left-back Jefte, who for all intents and purposes was a January target for Rangers whilst on loan at APOEL.
Reports in the player’s homeland have now suggested that the Fluminense defender has agreed terms with Rangers and – as expected – will join the club this summer.
Another young player, at 20-years-old Jefte has his best years in front of him and all things being equal, will compete with Ridvan Yilmaz for the left-back slot with Borna Barisic on his way out the door.
Completing the trio of reportedly imminent transfer moves is Motherwell goalkeeper Liam Kelly, who was of course trained in the Rangers Academy.
The Scotland international, 28, is a homegrown option and his addition to the side perhaps nods to some change in the goalkeeping position this summer.
The first two names in particular complement the transfer vision that both John Bennett and Nils Koppen have tried to expose Rangers fans to in recent months.
Following on from the captures of Oscar Cortes (RC Lens) and Mohamed Diomande (FC Nordsjælland) in January, Rangers want young, undiscovered talent from emerging football nations who can develop at the club, win trophies and then eventually bank us a fortune.
Player trading focus in busy window
In keeping with this, Rangers are also said to be prominently interested in another two names although the reports are mixed regarding how far down the line they might be.
South African midfield talent Relebohile Mofokeng has been strongly linked to both Rangers and Wolves with reports this week suggesting the Gers have stolen a march on the 19-year-old.
The Orlando Pirates talent has been urged to follow Bafana Bafana contemporary Steven Pienaar to Europe and go on to become a household name.
Then there is Kosovan striker Albion Rrahmani, a 23-year-old forward who has netted 19 goals in 30 games for Rapid Bucharest this season.
With none other than Neil Lennon taking over at the Romanian club, the ex-Celtic manager has insisted he’ll be doing everything in his power to keep the forward from moving to Ibrox.
After Rrahmani appeared to salute the Rapid fans in an emotional farewell following the completion of the Romanian Super Liga season, we’re not so sure how much sway Lennon will hold in doing so.
And this is just the start.
These are five names who – the functional prospective signing of Liam Kelly aside – appear to fit Rangers’ more progressive, ambitious transfer model.
Gone are the days of signing English Championship level footballers on high wages who have hit, and even sunk from, their ceiling.
It might be a risky strategy – there’s a lot of pressure on the Rangers scouting team to get it right this summer – but the change is undoubtedly refreshing.
For too long an overreliance on expensive signings from south of the border has hamstrung us, as evidenced by Tom Lawrence and Ben Davies’ lack of availability this season, and change had to happen somewhere.
No-one is attesting to having huge experience of watching these guys but this potentially bright start to the window is enough to give Rangers fans some hope for the future.
