John Bennett must let cash go at Rangers in January to help Philippe Clement clean Michael Beale mess
The problems Philippe Clement faces as Rangers manager reared their ugly head again in midweek and it must force chairman John Bennett to open up his chequebook in January.
The Gers were held to a lacklustre 1-1 draw by the Cypriot champions at Ibrox to leave them needing a win in Spain against Real Betis on the final day to guarantee progression to the next round.
Ross McCausland’s first Rangers goal secured continental football into 2024, but the result means the Ibrox side may yet drop into the Conference League.
It was a performance from the Gers leaving a lot to be desired from fans and left room for plenty of criticism and scrutiny which is now firmly at Clement’s door despite his brilliant start at Ibrox.
In his nine games as Rangers boss Clement has won six and drawn three but is now without a win in his last two with his squad now reverting to Michael Beale’s latter days at Ibrox, which will leave Clement clamouring.
Both performances against Aberdeen and Aris have certainly awakened the problems the Belgian faces in trying to build this side in his image with Beale’s summer business leaving the current squad imbalanced and in a real mess.
Credit certainly must be handed to Clement for turning every stone with this squad to get them where they are right now, in terms of results – unbeaten in nine games.
However, the last two matches have certainly shown the form may not be sustainable and more crucial, the squad still need a lot of work.
Whether that rebuild takes place in January remains to be seen.
The Gers spent just a whopping £15m in the summer under Beale and several of those signings have struggled to make a name for themselves so far, especially Sam Lammers, Dujon Sterling, Cyriel Dessers and Jose Cifuentes.
There are no guarantees Clement will be handed the funds to sign the players he wants in January [Chris Jack, 14 October] which means he may look to force out several stars to fund his brand-new revolution.
Also, there are several fringe players that the Belgian may well be looking to move on in January such as goalkeepers Robby McCrorie and Jon McLaughlin, defenders John Souttar and Sterling who’s now a forgotten commodity already since his summer move.
Also, with the likes of Scott Wright, Kemar Roofe and several others, Clement will feel the club can certainly listen to offers.
This is certainly the mess Clement has inherited from Beale, but whether he will be handed the resources to fix it in the January window remains a tad uncertain.
It’s why Bennett must identify and appreciate some of the mistakes made and ultimately let the cash fly for the Belgian to undergo the rebuild his promising start at Ibrox warrants.
A strong Scottish Premiership title challenge hinges on that crucial decision.
In other Rangers news, a presenter believes the Gers could force Brendan Rodgers out of Celtic if a certain development happens.