Philippe Clement issues Rangers 'board and investors' transfer rallying cry ahead of January deadline

Rangers manager expecting new recruits to arrive in final week of January window

Rangers manager Philippe Clement is confident the club will make new additions in the final week of the transfer window. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

It was arresting for Philippe Clement to answer with a flat “no” when the Rangers manager was asked at his media conference on Tuesday if he would be “content and confident” for the second half of the season should he not add to his squad in the final week of the January window.

Even allowing for the fact the Belgian subsequently chose to caveat his bald response by stating “because that was not the idea of the club [and] I am confident we will do the things we are all aligned on”. Take a step back, and the interaction could be read as Clement appearing solid in his conviction that the Rangers board and “investors” - the 49-year-old notably often referred to “the board and investors” when discussing the club’s transfer strategy – are about to back him with a decent wedge of hard cash.

The Rangers manager would not entertain providing any intelligence on reports the club are preparing to part with the not-inconsiderable-sum of £4.5m to acquire Ivorian midfielder Mohamed Diomande from Nordsjaelland. All indications, though, are that the 22-year-old is set to become the club’s second addition in the window following Fabio Silva’s loan move from Wolves. And that this will not be the end of Rangers squad bolstering before February 1, with a striker the priority.

The Ibrox club remain a loss-making operation, and have yet to post a profit since their 2012 liquidation. But it would seem that the business backers who have shored up their finances to allow them to remain competitive are not in the mood to deny Clement financial support. Maybe feeling morally obliged to do so when they allowed predecessor Michael Beale to splurge £13m across a flawed summer recruitment drive.

The £35m bounty guaranteed to the Scottish Premiership winners, courtesy of next season’s expanded Champions League is perhaps focusing minds to raid bank balances once more. Clement certainly gives no indications he is anything other than relaxed and confident over the efforts being made to furnish him with signings to strengthen his hand in the title race.

“I’m always confident,” the Rangers manager said. “If I saw people in the building who were lazy and not working day and night to get our goals and to do what we want to…if I felt the board is not wanting to help…if the investors thought the January market is not important, it would be a different feeling.

“But I have a feeling everyone is doing their ultimate best to get what we want to get.

“Is it a guarantee? No, but that’s the case for almost all teams in the world. There are a few with so much money they can do it, but not too many. You see also the transfer market in general started really slow. So I know it’s not an easy market. I see the people who want to bring in transfers are doing their ultimate best and I see it with my players also. In that way, I’m relaxed. I’m also on top of it because if I see something going down, I’m there also.

“It happens sometimes in training and things, but I’m confident this club is growing in every sense. There’s a big difference in this building, in every department, from three months ago. If we continue growing like that we will reach our goals.”