The Belgian is facing a hasty rebuild with a chunk of the Ibrox squad set to depart this summer.
Philippe Clement has branded it CRAZY the number of players Rangers have out of contract this summer – as he declared the club was throwing away money.
The Belgian has signed striker Fabio Silva on loan from Wolves so far this window but is active in trying to improve other areas of his squad. Rangers head to Dumbarton in the Scottish Cup this weekend as they look to keep things competitive on all fronts when they return from the winter break, but they also have Europa League business to attend in the Spring.
But he has aimed to temper the recruitment expectations as he shifted focus to the stars that are now free to speak to to clubs this month and leave for nothing – with regulars John Lundstram, Kemar Roofe, Ryan Jack, Leon Balogun and Borna Barisic free to leave this summer. Fringe goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin is also out of contract this summer, takig the total number to SIX. Speaking before the clash with the Sons, Clement said: “We are not the most wealthy club in the world. I know that.
“You want to get transfer in, that can make an impact now but also have an impact for the next couple of years on the field and selling them for bigger amounts. If you look back over the last couple of years that is something the club have missed. You want to have young prospects you can develop and can go to a higher level than Glasgow Rangers. It’s a balance. You need to have players that are in contract. Like this season, to have five players out of contract is a crazy situation because you throw away money. They are of no value any more if the contract is ended.”
Clement has refused to be drawn on rumours that Rangers are on the hunt for Aberdeen’s Connor Barron, after being directly asked about the midfielder. At his pre-match press conference ahead of going to The Rock, the boss was directly asked about rumours growing that Dons star Barron could be heading to Ibrox.
He said: “With all respect towards you guys, I am not going to discuss every player there is rumours about. I have read some the most crazy things the last couple of weeks so we are not going into that game as otherwise I will not have a life anymore. It is not respectful also towards players you are not interested in or teams who have players you are not interested in. I am never going to rumours, I will speak about players when they are in the building.”
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