Rangers transfer 'talks' clarified as Hjalmar Ekdal nears Burnley exit
Yesterday at 09:00 AM
Rangers season so far seems to be one step forward and two backwards with Philippe Clement fighting a losing battle to turn fan opinion on his future.
The squad has a clear split of those who are capable of doing a job and those who the manager plays just to rest his key men, even if the drop off in quality clearly affects performances.
Two weeks into the transfer window and Rangers have made little impact although there is an update on talks over a loan move for Hjalmar Ekdal from Burnley.
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Rangers make decision on Hjalmar Ekdal transfer
The Light Blues were said to be in talks with the Championship outfit, however, according to The Rangers Review, the club is not in active talks to sign the 26-year old Sweden international.
Centre-half is a position where Clement is currently short of options, as is right-back, but the promotion of Clinton Nsiala has proven that, sometimes, trusting the academy can pay dividends.
With no imminent arrivals, players like Leon Balogun and Dujon Sterling can't be far from returning to action.
As seen against Dundee, St Johnstone and Hibernian though, there is a worrying lack of physicality at the heart of the defence.
Are Rangers going to be busy in January?
Patrick Stewart has spoken about Rangers transfer plans in his first lengthy interview and it is clear that he is intent on taking the club in a new direction:
"So, let's discuss squad planning. I think first thing's first, I want to explain why it's me discussing squad planning with you today rather than simply leaving it to Philippe.
“Club directors are always being asked, 'Are we backing the manager' when it comes to signing players. Again I think in well-run clubs it's the club that signs the players, not the manager. The manager does play a significant role.
"He should be influencing the plans and should have a veto right over signings. I also expect a manager to be pushing me and technical director Nils to invest in the squad.
“I expect that challenge [and] equally I'm going to push back and say, 'I want you to make the most of the players that we've got' and so I think you need that kind of, I call it, healthy tension where Philippe is pushing for more players and as he said in a recent press conference, every manager wants more players and you'd want that from a manager."
Rangers desperately needed a reset and Stewart is determined to right the wrongs of the past and put the club on the right foot, even if it means some short term pain.
