'Impossible' - Clement issues Rangers transfer verdict amid January budget admission

Philippe Clement has revealed he doesn’t know what the Rangers transfer budget will be for the January window.

Responding to fans at a Q&A on 10 September the Ibrox boss admitted it was “impossible” to predict how many windows he will need to get the squad that he wants.

He assured supporters he will complete his overhaul of the Gers squad as quickly as he can but highlighted how many variables are involved.

He said, via the Daily Record: “I wish I had the answer to that and had this crystal ball. I know a lot of fans and young ones like to play the PlayStation, Football Manager and all those things. But in real life it is totally different.

“You cannot make any prediction about that because first it’s about the finances you have yourself – I don’t know that yet for January – it’s about finding the right players and convincing them to come.

“It has to do with relationships with players and agents and with other clubs also, if they want to let them go or not. It’s impossible to predict that.

“All I can say is we will do it as fast as possible but you don’t have everything in your own hands in that way. You can only work really hard for that.”

James Tavernier future a major transfer question at Rangers

Rationally Clement’s points are fair but they won’t do much to calm a fanbase that is seeing the season fall apart early after a frustrating summer transfer window.

It is not actually the manager’s fault that he hasn’t had the budget to spend on what he would have wanted, or been able to offload all the players he would have hoped to.

He also highlighted the need to reduce the wage bill and the fact that so many players have left for nothing recently as restrictive factors on the night.

Selling Connor Goldson will have reduced the weekly outlay after the high-earning defender left for Aris Limassol, while captain James Tavernier’s future remains in question for January if he doesn’t leave imminently [Haber Turk, 10 September].

Moving on both was tipped to clear around £75,000-a-week off the wage bill [David Edgar, 22 July], while Todd Cantwell and John Lundstram among other senior departures who will have brought it down further.

But despite Nedim Bajrami and Naraysho Kasanwirjo arriving on Deadline Day it looks clear the transfer business was not the full job Clement had in mind.

The Daily Record reported on 14 June that the manager had been assured there was money to spend by John Bennett, and while there was an outlay it soon emerged that it was going to be contingent on exits.

They proved far easier said than done, so if Clement is in the dark ahead of January there are bound to be concerns of another frustrating experience in the market during a season that already looks set to be arduous.

In other Rangers news, the “simple” reason the Light Blues have been unable to sell a player has been explained.

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