MONEY TALKS Philippe Clement says Rangers CAN’T AFFORD more players right now and he had ‘different expectations’ when taking job
He’s indicated some players will have to leave and that he still has a ‘massive’ rebuilding job to do
Andy Devlin
PHILIPPE CLEMENT has revealed Rangers must sell before they can buy.
Following the early arrivals of Jefte, Oscar Cortes, Clinton Nsiala, Connor Barron, Liam Kelly and Hamza Igamane, transfer activity at Ibrox has ground to an alarming halt.
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Philippe Clement admits Rangers have a huge rebuild on their hands
Philippe Clement admits Rangers have a huge rebuild on their handsCredit: Getty
With just three weeks until the start of the new season, Gers fans are crying out for more.
But the Light Blues boss – not prepared for this scenario when he joined last October – admitted more players will have to leave before he can add much needed experience.
Clement said: “That’s the reality. That’s the reality that the board told me a few months ago.
“I know this, the recruitment team knows this also. This is the reality of the club.
“I had other expectations when I came in in October, I have to say.
“But I know the reality now. I am very motivated to build the club and help in that.
“It’s focusing not only on the short term but also on the long term.
“If I only looked at the short term I would only bring in experienced players who can do the job directly.
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“Mistakes like that have been made too much in the past and at the end you don’t reach your goals.
“You need a different philosophy and that’s what we are all working towards.”
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The task of rebuilding Rangers is arguably the biggest challenge of Clement’s coaching career.
Having watched Gers run them close last season, the Hoops hierarchy are likely to bankroll a summer spending spree for boss Brendan Rodgers, with Danish legend Kasper Schmeichel already lined up to replace Joe Hart.
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It all adds to Clement’s woes as he prepares to start the season away from Ibrox.
Yet he vowed to meet every challenge head on – because Rangers have stolen his heart.
Clement – who watched his Gers side lose 2-1 to Ajax in a pre-season friendly – confessed: “This is a massive rebuilding job, it is true.
“Maybe some people would run away from that but, having been seven months in Glasgow, in this city, in the stadium, in the club, I have to say this club already took a big part of my heart in that way.
“I am really confident that we can work in stability the next month, the next year, that we can make a lot of things better in the club.
“We have been busy with that also.
“We have been changing staff in the medical department, in the performance department.
“It is all over the club that everybody is working really hard to make things better.
“In the end, it will benefit the cause of growing as a club.”
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Meanwhile, reports claim Sevilla has rejected a proposal from Gers for on loan Joan Jordan.
It’s understood the Spanish have no desire to cover part of Jordan’s salary as required by Rangers.
