With Rangers manager Philippe Clement overseeing a bit of a mixed start to the 2024/25 Scottish campaign, right now we are preparing for the home (Hampden Park) game against Ross County where the Ibrox faithful will be demanding our second league victory of the campaign to ensure we get more back on track as our new signings continue settling into life at the club.
Whilst fans will be questioning whether or not our incoming summer transfer business is compete with deadline day now beginning to loom large, there is still plenty of speculation on the transfer window rumour mill hinting that we might not be done with fresh incomings just yet – and our 50 year old Belgian gaffer is on record as saying more incomings will require outgoings – so one thing is pretty clear and that is that fans will likely see at least another couple of departures before we tick into the month of September.
The real question is then whether or not they are replaced with so little time left now to wheel and deal, but for those who like a flutter there will undoubtedly be odds out there on who might go. Speaking of odds, many new casino providers entering the market often feature excellent betting sections where you can place sports bets while you wait for this transfer season to resolve. Either way, football fans will have plenty to keep them entertained before the new season starts.
With plenty of claims over the summer concerning the future of 25 year old Romanian Ianis Hagi, it seems a departure could be back on the cards. Having spent spent last season out on loan with Alaves after falling out of favour with us, the 39 capped full international, returning this summer looking for a fresh start following his exploits at the 2024 European Championships in Germany, but it is now being reported that Clement has insisted he does not figure in his plans this year.
A loan would obviously not suit us again, and this has led to reports that Rapid Bucharest are now interested in taking him back to his homeland on a permanent deal, and given the fee we originally paid for him, few in the fan base will see a reason why a deal could not be done between both clubs – the sticking point could likely be personal terms.
He is apparently training with the B team/youngsters with a claim that another appearance would contractually see a £6000 a week pay rise as he would hit the 100 appearance milestone.
Whilst it is known that Todd Cantwell is also in search of an exit, offers so far have not really been forthcoming but loose reports are again suggesting that Turkey could be a potential destination, with Trabzonspor again namechecked – but even those reports state that despite them being ‘seriously interested’ there has yet, been no formal offer submitted.
A slightly more bizarre story doing the rounds concerns Cyriel Dessers. The 29 year old has largely performed well since his reported £4.5 million arrival from Cremonese back in the summer of 2023 and the Nigerian internationals goal return has been decent – with him finding the net three times in five games so far in 2024/25, but he certainly has his critics, despite his ever present status under Clement.
Reports emerged this week though that Rangers were ‘close’ to striking a potential £4.6 million deal with United States MLS side Atlanta United. However, it is said the player himself pulled the plug on any potential move. Earlier in the summer potential moves to Greek side PAOK, and Italian outfit Cagliari had been floated, but it seems MLS interest was concrete until he shut it down himself.
Whether or not anything can be read into those claims is probably for the individual reading, and contrary to some opinions, Clement likes him leading the line and given his goal return, that is not really the kind of transfer uplift that you would think would even tempt us into selling him given goalscoring was a major problem in 2023/24.
I suppose we shall see what happens.
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