Philippe Clement faces arguably his most important five days in charge of Glasgow Rangers between now and the end of the transfer window.
While buoyed by Saturday's 6-0 thrashing of Ross County, the start of the season has been underwhelming, to say the least, as the first Old Firm clash of the campaign is fast approaching.
At this moment in time, however, this will be the farthest thing from his mind, especially considering he has days left to make another couple of signings for the Light Blues.
Clement may have to move on a player or two first if he wishes to add to his current first-team squad, and this is proving to be quite a problem for the Gers.
One player who has been linked with a move away from Glasgow is that of yesterday's two-goal star, Rabbi Matondo, who is attracting interest from the English Championship.
Rabbi Matondo’s future at Rangers
Last week, the Daily Mail reported that Leeds United were keen on luring Matondo south of the border in a bid to improve their squad, as the winger emerged as a potential option.
It now appears that fellow Championship side Blackburn Rovers could be set to win the race for his signature, according to Football League World.
John Eustace has plenty of money to spend as Sammie Szmodics was sold to Ipswich Town for a fee in the region of £10m, giving the club a boost to their finances.
This could see the Rovers make a concrete move for Matondo before the end of the transfer window, as it looks as though Clement is keen to cash in on the youngster.
Securing a fee would give the Belgian an opportunity to perhaps sign another player for the Ibrox side before the end of the window.
Might the club be chasing a swoop for a Serie A winger?
Rangers chase move for Fiorentina winger
As reported in Italy earlier this week, Rangers are showing interest in luring Fiorentina winger Josip Brekalo to Glasgow before the end of the window.
It was claimed that the Ibrox side have enquired about a potential swoop for the 5 foot 9 dynamo as it looks like he could be on the move from Serie A.
Much will depend on whether Clement can get Matondo off the books in the next few days. Otherwise, it might be tough to sign Brekalo.
If a move did go through, however, the Croatian would be a stunning coup for the Gers, one that would give them a significant boost out wide.
Josip Brekalo’s season in numbers
The 26-year-old endured a difficult first few months of the 2023/24 campaign for the Italian side, as he made just 18 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring once in the process.
The left-winger was duly loaned out to Hajduk Split in his homeland for the second half of the season, and it saw the winger at his very best.
He may have only made 16 appearances for the Croatian side, but Brekalo was one of their most effective attacking outlets, scoring twice and grabbing eight assists during his time at the club.
Not only did he finish first among his teammates with regard to overall Sofascore rating in the top flight (7.58), but the winger also ranked fourth for goals and assists (ten), third for shots on target per game (0.6), third for big chances created (four), first for key passes per game (2.6) and for successful dribbles each mate (1.9), showcasing his true talents in his native Croatia.
Despite his underwhelming start to the season for Fiorentina, Brekalo actually ranked in the top 8% when compared to his peers for shot on target percentage per 90 (44.4%), along with ranking in the top 11% for progressive passes received per 90 (9.52) in the top flight.
Metric
Matondo
Brekalo (Hajduk Split only)
Goals
5
2
Assists
3
8
Big chances created
4
4
Key passes per game
0.6
2.6
Successful dribbles per game
1.2
1.9
Shots per game
1.7
1.9
This suggests that he gets himself into dangerous positions on a regular basis, while also showing a keen eye for goal given how many shots he has on target.
This is exactly the type of player Clement is after as he looks to improve his side’s attacking output. With this in mind, Brekalo could be the player to get Danilo finally firing in a Rangers jersey.
Danilo’s Rangers statistics
The 25-year-old was Michael Beale’s most expensive summer signing in 2023, costing the Light Blues around £6m from Dutch side Feyenoord.
A fee of this size naturally put pressure on the striker to deliver and, despite breaking his cheekbone in September, Danilo scored six goals in his first 21 matches, of which only ten came in the starting XI.
The centre-forward suffered a serious knee injury against Hearts prior to Christmas, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
It wasn’t exactly the debut campaign that Danilo was hoping for, especially considering the size of the fee involved in his transfer.
In the first five games of 2024/25, he played just 45 minutes, in the League Cup clash against St Johnstone, offering little in the way of attacking input, albeit before netting his first of the season in the thumping win against Ross County.
Of course, it will take him weeks to get back up to speed again, but having someone like Brekalo playing out wide could inspire plenty of confidence in the former Ajax striker.
The winger loves to work his way into the opposition box regularly, which indicates his desire to get into the most dangerous positions to not only have a shot at goal, but to also set up chances for his teammates.
Once Danilo scores a couple of goals and gains more minutes in his legs, confidence will start to flow, and a dream partnership could be formed.
Clement must act swiftly, as there are just days remaining of the 2024 summer transfer window. Not only that, but it looks as though a few players will need to leave before any signings are made.
Matondo is the obvious candidate given interest from down south in the winger, but there are a few others in the current squad who must be moved on so the Belgian can sign the talented Brekalo.
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