Glasgow Rangers are under pressure to start the 2024/25 campaign off well in order to maintain a Premiership title challenge from the word go.
This won’t be easy, especially as the Gers will be playing their home games at Hampden Park for the foreseeable due to the delay in construction work at Ibrox which will likely stretch into October.
Combine this with the fact that Philippe Clement is yet to offload any of the high earners at Rangers, and it could prove to be a long few months to begin the new season.
There is no doubt the Belgian is working with his hands tied behind his back, but the reality is, that several players need to leave in order to raise precious funds for future transfers.
If this doesn’t happen, the Ibrox faithful could see the likes of Sam Lammers and Cyriel Dessers in the squad for the first league match of the campaign against Hearts in just three weeks’ time, showing a real lack of progress.
Might Clement be offered a ray of light in terms of adding some new blood to his squad, however? He could be eyeing a reunion with a player who shone throughout the 2023/24 campaign.
Rangers would love to sign Premier League winger
It is perhaps no secret that the 50-year-old is a keen admirer of Brighton and Hove Albion winger Abdallah Sima after he shone during a season-long loan spell at Glasgow last term.
He was previously valued at around £8m by the Seagulls, yet this price tag looked like it may have dropped due to the fact he is entering into the final 12 months of his contract, giving Clement some hope of making a permanent deal happen.
The Belgian has confirmed he has kept in contact with Sima, however, saying: “I’ve been in touch with him, of course. He’s like one of my sons. Abda loves the club. Abda loves the way of playing we had last season and his role in that. He loved his teammates and the staff.
“But at the end of the day, Brighton is the owner so it’s all about the money then. At the moment it’s not possible. But we will see along the way if there comes a possibility because we would love to get him back. We will see if it is possible.”
Player
Club signed from
Jefte
Fluminense
Connor Barron
Aberdeen
Liam Kelly
Motherwell
Clinton Nsiala
AC Milan
Oscar Cortes
RC Lens (loan)
Mohamed Diomande
FC Nordsjaelland
Hamza Igamane
AS FAR
With just six weeks left of the transfer window, will Clement manage to lure the winger back to Ibrox this summer?
Abdallah Sima’s season in numbers
Michael Beale endured a torrid ten-month spell in charge of the club, but he did make a few solid signings last summer, Sima included.
Having lost Ryan Kent at the end of the 2022/23 season, it was evident that a similar type of player was required on the left wing and the Brighton gem would exceed all expectations.
The 23-year-old played 39 times throughout the campaign, scoring 16 goals and registering three assists in the process, emerging as one of the main attacking threats for the Ibrox side.
These totals would have arguably been higher had the winger not missed the majority of the second half of the season after suffering a hamstring injury while on international duty for Senegal.
Among his teammates, Sima ranked third in the squad for goals and assists in the top flight (13), along with ranking third for shots per match (2.9) and for successful dribbles per game (1.2), showing his effectiveness in the final third for the Gers.
With Brazilian striker Danilo looking fit and healthy ahead of the new season, could Clement form a wonderful attacking duo by starting the pair together should Sima arrive this summer?
Why Sima would be ideal for Danilo next season
The duo had already played together briefly last term before the former Ajax striker suffered a season-ending injury in December, with Sima providing an assist for Danilo to score during the 5-0 win over Dundee.
The 25-year-old managed to play just 21 times due to two serious injuries last term, scoring only six goals in the process, but there is no doubting his ability.
Having undergone a full pre-season with the Ibrox side, Danilo looks ready to attack the new season, and he should be the starting centre-forward when Rangers face Hearts at Tynecastle next month.
When he did get an opportunity to play, the Brazilian striker showed glimpses of his quality as he averaged three shots per game, created a big chance and succeeded with 50% of his dribbles in the Premiership, not bad for a player who started just five games in the competition.
A quick look at his heat map below also demonstrates that he loved to drop deeper to link up with the wingers and midfielders regularly, holding the ball up well, which allowed his teammates to get involved in the attack.
This could see Sima link up well with Danilo once again and the pair could cause plenty of problems for opposition defences.
Captain James Tavernier lauded the winger following a win over Sparta Prague in the Europa League last season, saying: “He has been a real attacking threat for us this season. He’s got electric pace and can finish in difficult areas.”
There is no doubt that Clement needs as much attacking firepower as he can get ahead of what could be the most important campaign in recent memory.
Celtic have won the previous three league titles, securing a financial war chest in the process by qualifying for the Champions League group stages.
Another season finishing second could prove to be disastrous, especially on the transfer front, as the club could struggle to get rid of their high earners.
If the Belgian can recruit two or three experienced players in the next few weeks, the Gers have a chance of progressing into the newly established group stage of Europe’s elite club competition.
Without fresh blood, it could be the same old story for the Light Blues.
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