Whisper it because Rangers are masters of false dawns but they may finally be getting their act together on transfers
At the same time as Celtic were unveiling £9million man Jota - Rangers were offering deals to Zak Lovelace and Findlay Curtis.
At first glance, it looked like yet another example of how the Old Firm clubs are now poles apart. Opposite ends of the financial spectrum. A gulf between Parkhead and Ibrox that’s supposedly widening by the day. But you know what? If you actually take a step back and look a bit deeper, that might not be the case after all.
Instead, Jota’s mega-money return and Rangers investing in youth are actually inextricably linked. Because put simply - if Philippe Clement and Co are EVER going to catch up with Celtic and challenge for titles, it’s the only route they can possibly go down. And to be fair to the Belgian, he’s said it all along.
READ MORE: Kieran Tierney deal agreed, £34m striker joins - Celtic's perfect end to transfer window
Of course, initially it’s hard to stomach for Gers fans. Like every other set of supporters - but especially in this city - they demand instant success. That’s part of the Old Firm deal. Irrespective of the circumstances, they have to be top dogs.
But when their biggest rival splashed out for their Portuguese poster boy during the week, it was a reminder of where Celtic and Brendan Rodgers are right now. It was evident in the summer, of course. Arne Engels snared for £11milion, Adam Idah for £9m, Auston Trusty for £6m.
If they feel the need to spend at that end of the market, they have the ability to do so. When they sold Kyogo to Rennes for £10m, there wasn’t a thought of banking the profit they made on the Japanese striker. They didn’t have to, as their bank balance is already bulging with Champions League cash and previous sales.
So they splurged it on Jota which, for punters, softened the blow of Kyogo’s exit. Such is Celtic’s financial wherewithal right now, they could afford to let someone go who has been the absolute scourge of Rangers in the last few years. And replace him with someone else who they already know can produce the goods in Old Firm derbies.
Normally, there’s a doubt over that with every signing. But not with Jota - and that’s why they paid the fee. Off the pitch, Rangers simply can’t compete on that level. Clement knows it, the Ibrox board knows it and Nils Koppen knows it. But on it? It doesn’t mean you just curl up and accept your fate.
The most expensively assembled team doesn’t always win the league - that’s been proven a million times before. But the side chasing has to come up with a different way of doing it.
And whisper it - because by God, they’re the masters of false dawns - but Rangers might finally be getting their act together when it comes to building something for the long-term. The new contracts offered to kids like Lovelace and Curtis might not seem like a big deal. But it is.
Because there’s been a shift in Clement’s thinking over the last few months. It’s unclear what triggered it exactly. But when, out of nowhere, he revealed that young midfielder Bailey Rice would now be part of the first-team set-up, it felt significant.
That coincided with Clinton Nsiala being promoted from the B team straight into his starting line-up. Now the likes of Lovelace, Curtis and Paul Nsio, have all been told they’re part of Rangers’ future.
But of course, Clement can’t solely rely on teenagers. And that’s where clever recruitment and squad management comes in.
While the likes of Rice and Nsiala were pushed to the fore, he decided Kieran Dowell, Rabbi Matondo and Tom Lawrence weren’t part of the plan.
For beleaguered punters, it felt like a seminal moment. It was as if Clement was finally beginning to see the wood from the trees.
Unlike in previous years, Rangers have now added genuine value to their team sheet. In players like Hamza Igamane, Jefte, Nico Raskin, Dujon Sterling, Mohamed Diomande, Oscar Cortes and Nsiala, suddenly they have assets.
They’re supplemented at one end by experienced pros, Jack Butland, John Souttar and James Tavernier. And at the other, the talented kids who MUST now get game-time. The younger ones aren’t the finished article. Far from it. But this club hasn’t boasted this type of potential in years. And already clubs outside Scotland are eyeing them up, preparing to swoop.
When they do, and Rangers invariably cash in - thus increasing their budget and cash reserves - it’s Koppen’s job to find the next one. This isn’t rocket science. But for whatever reason, it’s been a formula no-one at Ibrox has been able to work out until now.
And by the way, whether Clement is still manager or not in a year’s time, is irrelevant. Whoever the new guy might be, he simply has to carry it on. Because it’s the ONLY way they’ll make ground on Celtic and stop them cantering to another 10-in-a-row charge.
It’s been my view for a while that Clement was always going to be at the helm until the summer at least, despite trailing Rodgers’ men in the Premiership. That hasn’t changed. If he has a disastrous run of defeats, he’ll probably be gone. And winning the Scottish Cup this season could be absolutely vital for him.
Given the work he’s put in with these young players - and the gratitude they’ll have towards him - it might be worth giving Clement a bit more time to see where he can take them. But whether it’s with him or someone else, they have to stay on the path they’ve set out on. There is no alternative.
And if they do it right? In a few years’ time THEY might be the cash-rich champions dipping into their pockets for a £9m January buy.
