Rangers to use large chunk of budget after new Oscar Cortes transfer update
Rangers will use a “significant chunk” of their future budget on Lens attacker Oscar Cortes after agreeing on a new loan with an obligation to buy, according to Chris Jack.
Cortes arrived at the end of January on a six-month loan deal featuring an option to buy but had his season ended prematurely through injury.
Jack, however, believes the club have “all the information” they need to decide on the attacker, with a future fee worth around £4million said to be agreed.
Speaking to The Rangers Review (3 June) on YouTube, he said: “Rangers have been in control of [Cortes’] rehab. They should know exactly where he is, they should know how severe it is, they should know the success of the operation that he had.
“So if they then decide that he’s worth roundabout £4m and they go and make that deal happen, they have all the information there. If it then goes badly, there’s then questions to be asked. But I think Rangers have been able to do as much preparation work for this deal as possible.
“That doesn’t mean to say that he’s a steal at £4million. Out of this Rangers budget, it’s going to be a lot, it’s going to be a significant chunk of it.”
Should Rangers have signed Oscar Cortes?
Signing a player who mustered just seven appearances on loan before his season was ended by an injury does seem, on the face of it, like a risky move.
The fact that the deal has gone ahead clearly suggests that Cortes’ performance in those seven games – six in the Scottish Premiership and one in the Scottish Cup – and his off-field presence were enough to convince Philippe Clement of his value as a member of the Belgian’s new-look squad.
His tally of one goal and two assists in just 378 minutes of action is certainly not bad, and his underlying numbers are encouraging as well – though the small sample size must be taken into account.
In 318 minutes of league action for Rangers, Cortes averaged 1.7 shots on target per 90, highlighting his goal threat from out wide [FotMob].
Additionally, his work off the ball was surprisingly impressive for a 20-year-old winger, with the Colombian averaging 6.23 recoveries, 1.42 tackles won and 1.13 possessions won in the final third per 90 in the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership.
That combination of graft and sharpness is an exciting combination and Clement will hope Cortes can develop into a top talent at Ibrox.
In other Rangers news, Thomas Galdames has been quizzed on a possible transfer to Ibrox.
For more Rangers news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.