Rangers exits: Clubs on red alert as Nils Koppen makes shock change
Nils Koppen has decided to scrap the Rangers B team with loans and senior football favoured, according to the Scottish Sun.
The news outlet reports (16 January) that clubs in Scotland will be on red alert to sign youngsters from Ibrox as Koppen makes the “shock” change.
It is said that Patrick Stewart and Philippe Clement back the decision of the Rangers chief, with big changes coming at Auchenhowie.
The B team is primarily made up of under-23 players, who other teams could now look to sign for the rest of the season.
Rangers to make shock Ibrox change
While the idea behind getting rid of the B team looks promising, the Light Blues will need to make sure their academy stars find the right opportunities going forward.
Robbie Fraser joined Livingston in the Scottish Championship in the winter window and is getting plenty of game time there, in an example that promotes this move.
The right-back scored as David Martindale’s team beat Airdrieonians 2-1 on Tuesday (14 January).
Now, Rangers need to find similar destinations for the likes of Alex Lowry and Zak Lovelace to play more competitive football.
The Gers currently have a bloated first-team squad, and Koppen and the recruitment team will likely need a few transfer windows to fix it.
Clinton Nsiala has recently shown that he’s more than capable of making the step up, proving that Clement can count on him during the injury crisis.
More youngsters must be given consistent opportunities to prove themselves, which hasn’t been a theme under the Belgian head coach.
Bailey Rice is being talked about a lot but hasn’t played much, and it would be better for such players to go out on loan to gain more experience.
Change is on the horizon in Govan again.
In other Rangers news, Clement’s game is up once the hierarchy takes notice of fan protests.
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