Philippe Clement in brutal Rangers transfer confession as he outlines what January missed opportunities may create
The Rangers manager has confirmed he ‘wanted more’ from the club’s January transfer window dealings
Philippe Clement has confessed Rangers fell short of landing their January transfer window targets - admitting the club’s financial situation dictated why they’ll need to wait for Lyall Cameron to join in the summer.
The Ibrox boss has revealed he was left wanting more after the Light Blues failed to push through any deadline day deals, despite securing the signing of Dundee midfielder Cameron on a pre-contract agreement.
Rangers made only one signing last month - defender Rafael Fernandes arriving on loan from LOSC Lille - with Zak Lovelace leaving the club after sealing a permanent return to former club Millwall, while Rabbi Matondo and Kieran Dowell also headed for the exit door on loan.
The Govan side were in the market for another attacking player before Monday’s deadline passed but Clement was forced to settle with just one new recruit for the second half of the season.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of Sunday’s Scottish Cup last-16 tie against Queen’s Park, the Belgian revealed he had hoped for new new additions and reckons their lack of business could slow the rate of progress on the pitch.
“We as a club wanted more,” Clement said. “We walks about that. At the end, we didn't achieve all the goals that we wanted. And now with this squad it is about going full for everything we want and that is to win every game.
“That stays the ambition. it's a really high ambition I know but it's my ambition at every club I work for. We will keep looking to develop this group and make it better.
“Maybe because we missed some things in the transfer window it will give an opportunity to somebody else to blossom. Maybe we have lost a little bit more time than we expected on the trajectory that we wanted to make with the squad.
“But it's now about getting the maximum out of the group and focusing on that - and that's what I'm going to do.”
Quizzed on the club’s decision to wait until Cameron’s contract at Dundee runs out to sign the 22-year-old, instead of luring him away from Dens Park before the window closed, Clement added: “At the end, there’s a financial decision, of course. We all wanted him to come as fast as possible but it was not possible. So we need to wait a few months longer.
“Sometimes that’s the case. With Jefte it was the same. We wanted him in January last year and pushed really hard for that but it wasn’t possible and six months later it was.”