Philippe Clement turns heat on Rangers board over transfers amid Ibrox dysfunction
Philippe Clement has “ramped up the heat” on the Rangers board with his comments about the transfer budget, according to Keith Jackson.
The Daily Record journalist wrote for the paper’s website on 22 July that he looks like a man “getting his excuses in early” after going into “self-preservation mode” over his unfinished looking squad.
The Belgian revealed he had been told the Light Blues had to sell in order to buy this summer [Rangers Review, 13 July], and he is currently struggling to get rid of unwanted players like Sam Lammers.
Jackson wrote: “By insisting that he’s been blindsided by the lack of funds available to him this summer, the Belgian hasn’t just kicked a can down the road – he’s volleyed it straight into the boardroom and ramped up the heat on those inside.
“That might protect his own reputation and safeguard his relationship with the fans. But it smacks of a wider sense of dysfunctionality and makes Clement look like a man getting his excuses in early.”
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Clement won’t be alone in having hoped he’d be a lot further through his rebuild by this stage as early activity has given way to a frustrating stalemate.
If he does have to sell the buy then the expected exit of James Tavernier [The 4th Official, 20 July] can’t come soon enough.
But he’s running out of time before the season starts and appears to have a host of other senior players who appear to have little future that he can’t shift.
Deals this summer to sign Connor Barron and Oscar Cortes should be useful from the start, while the likes of Hamza Igamane and Clinton Nsiala may proved to be inspired down the line.
But at this stage the likely starting XI for the start of the new season won’t be a million miles different than how it ended last term in disappointment unless Tavernier goes and is quickly followed by the likes of Connor Goldson and Cyriel Dessers.
Replacements still need to be found and convinced to join even then so Clement may be justified in making excuses, especially when he’s had the Ibrox debacle dumped on his head.
The manager built up plenty of credit by reviving Michael Beale’s nightmare start to the campaign last season but after failing to beat Celtic once while passing up the league and cup to the Hoops it will soon run out should he start this season poorly.
He surely knows that and as things stand the chances of bursting out the gates don’t look great.
In other Rangers news, the club has been backed to snap up a fast and aggressive ace on a free in what would be a “great signing”.
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