Philippe Clement opens up on Rangers transfer business, addresses Ianis Hagi future and lifts lid on No 6 situation

Philippe Clement says Rangers are at the beginning of a new cycle after a large turnover of players in the summer transfer window.

The Ibrox club have made 11 new signings and have let a number of previously established members of the squad move on as Clement presides over a major rebuild in Govan. Goalkeeper Liam Kelly, defenders Clinton Nsiala, Robin Propper, Jefte and Neraysho Kasanwirjo, midfielders Connor Barron, Mohamed Diomande and Nedim Bajrami plus forwards Oscar Cortes, Vaclav Cerny and Hamza Igamane have all arrived at various points during the transfer window, with Kasanwirjo and Bajrami arriving during a hectic deadline day.

Clement explained that refreshing his group of players both in the short and long term. Experienced pros Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic, John Lundstram, Ryan Jack and Kemar Roofe all left at the end of their contracts, while goalkeepers Jon McLaughlin and Robby McCrorie have also been released, defender Ben Davies has left on loan and creative players Todd Cantwell and Scott Wright have moved on

Rangers have brought in a number of new players, including Jefte. | SNS Group

"These have been really busy months and weeks," said Clement ahead of Sunday's Old Firm clash away at Celtic. "I spoke about it at the end of last season - it was the end of a cycle at the club. I don't think everybody realised truly what I was talking about.

"You had a squad where a lot of players were into their 30s, would not progress any more, would not become any better than they were. You also had players who were at the end of a contract and were going to leave the club.

"There are 16 players from last season’s squad who are not here anymore. And there is still a possibility - not around players who are in the squad training, but from players who are not training with the squad - that they will still leave the club now.

"That's a lot, that's for sure an end of a cycle. It was also in staff that we had to make some changes to what we did. It's a massive rebuild.

Clement explained the strategy of what type of player they were keen to bring in. "We looked at four layers in that way, to get experienced players in the building, like the Proppers, the Cernys, the Liam Kellys, and those kind of players, and now with Bajrami also," the Belgian continued.

Ianis Hagi has become persona non grata at Ibrox. | SNS Group

"We were looking for high potential young players who could step in short term to do directly the job, but who could also be added value for the future. You can say [players like] Diomande, Cortes, Conor Barron, Jefte. Then the young potentials who are more for the long term. And then also to give more chances to academy players.

"We worked in that way across the transfer window. Of course, the more money that comes into the club, the more money you can spend. That's been not much because of the situation, and the legacy of the past, and the contracts of the past.

"We had to work with that - and it's important to use that word also, ‘we’, because it's not an 'I’ story, it's a ‘we’ story. That means the board, me, recruitment. We knew that it would take time, and probably it would not be possible also in one transfer window. Although everybody made the biggest efforts to do as much as possible this window."

One player who still might leave in the near future is Ianis Hagi, who has not played for Rangers for more than a year. The Romanian playmaker broke his silence earlier this week to say he would be open to staying at the club and renegotiate certain clauses in his contract. Other transfer windows remain open in places such as Turkey and the Middle East, and Clement reiterated his stance on Hagi.

"We spoke about that months ago, we were really open and honest with him and his agent, that we don't see him becoming the next number 10 for Rangers for the next couple of years, so to look out for other opportunities. That story stays the same, and for sure with Bajrami now in the building, you have this situation."

Clement has not yet fully replaced John Lundstram. | SNS Group

One position that Rangers did not address during the window was a No 6 in the ilk of Lundstram. Clement admitted that they may look at the free-agent market to bolster that area of the pitch.

"We talked about that in the club and that was the initial plan," Clement said on signing a deeper midfielder. "So we need to now find solutions within the squad to do that, in a different way to before.

"Connor Barron is filling that role. Dujon Sterling can fill that role. Nico Raskin can fill that role. But it's in a different way to Lunny. We don't need to play in the same way we did last season. It's about what suits the qualities of the squad best. And we're going to find solutions for that."