Philippe Clement addresses Rangers’ lack of transfer activity, Ridvan Yilmaz situation and reveals 'big blow'

What the Rangers manager said after the 2-2 friendly draw with Copenhagen at Ibrox

Rangers manager Phillippe Clement before the friendly match against Copenhagen at Ibrox Stadium. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

Rangers manager Philippe Clement has stressed he is not “frustrated” by the club’s lack of transfer activity in the January transfer window but did express disappointment over losing another player to a long-term injury.

The Belgian, speaking after his side’s 2-2 draw in their winter-break friendly with FC Copenhagen, did concede he had hoped to have new faces beyond Wolves loanee Fabio SIlva in his squad by this point. As he revealed the “big blow” of Kieran Dowell being rendered unavailable for “about two months” after he picked up an injury at the club’s training camp in La Manga last week. But he maintained all at the club were “aligned” in the efforts to bolster his squad before the end of the month.

“We need a few more in certain positions. I know everybody in the club who is involved in that is working day and night about that. We are in contact a lot. It has been really busy with those things, but until a signature is set by three parties, the player, us and the other team, it is not done. So I am waiting and I am focused on the players who are here. Besides all the talks that we are having with players, I am looking at other players. That is my job to do in January. That is why for every manager when it is February 1 we are always very happy that this hectic period is over.

"I hear every detail about everything that is coming closer to signing or not. I know everybody is working day and night. I'm not frustrated. I want the best for the club, the best for the group and I know everyone's working really hard for that. If it's tomorrow, or the 31st of January, that's difficult because we don't control those things."

Despite the constant speculation that Ridvan Yilmaz will move on in this window, Clement made plain he is in control of that situation, suggesting any sale of the Turkish left-back would be contingent on Rangers strengthening in that berth so as not to be left with Borna Barisic - in the final six months of his contract - as their only senior option for it.

“I cannot respond on that for any player who is here,” he said when asked about the situation regarding Yilmaz. “I am busy with one thing. Everybody who is here is a player of Rangers and I commit fully with all the staff to get the best out of them. But for every player at Rangers if there comes an offer that cannot be refused or is a good thing for the club then we need to discuss it. At the moment that is not the case. Ridvan is here and he started the game.

“We will see [if we need a left back]. Players also need to show they really want to be here in the next couple of months. We need to be prepared for everything, for every position also and make sure that we have solutions. That is one position that we have two players. One [Barisisc] is at the end of their contract, the other one there is a lot of rumours around. So it is clear that we need to be ready for that position. We cannot go on in three competitions with one left full-back. That is correct. And in other positions it is the same.”