Glasgow Rangers enter 2024 in a much better position than first anticipated just a few short months ago.
Under Michael Beale, the Ibrox side had missed out on Champions League qualification and had lost three of their opening seven Scottish Premiership matches.
Fast-forward three months, however, and the Gers have won their first trophy since May 2022, secured progression into the knockout stages of the Europa League, and are beginning to mount a title challenge – all under Philippe Clement.
The Belgian was appointed in mid-October and has made a major impression thus far. With the winter break ensuring the players get a couple of weeks' rest, thoughts now turn towards the January transfer window.
The Light Blues need to add some reinforcements across several areas of their squad and the 49-year-old coach will have plenty of ideas for new signings.
Fabio Silva has already joined the club. The question is, who will be next?
Rangers transfer news – Scott McKenna
According to Sky Sports, the Gers are interested in making a move for Nottingham Forest defender Scott McKenna in the current transfer window.
The defender is available to move, and it is not only Rangers who appear keen to bring him north of the border, as Celtic are also looking to add to their defensive options ahead of the second half of the campaign.
The Scot is entering the final few months of his Forest contract, which means he could move for free in the summer, yet it is reported that any potential swoop this month would be on an initial loan deal.
McKenna’s Forest spell is looking like it will end in acrimonious circumstances after the club banned both him and fellow defender Joe Worrall from first-team training last month.
Both players were told to find new clubs in the January transfer window, and it has not taken long for Rangers to show interest in the Scotland international.
While Clement has a plethora of defensive options to call on, it looks as though he is currently planning for the future and McKenna could be an ideal replacement for Leon Balogun, who will surely depart once his contract expires in the summer.
Clement could land dream Goldson partner in Rangers deal for £20k-p/w titan
Rangers could eye a new signing or two in the January transfer window
ByRoss KilvingtonDec 8, 2023
The Gers have enjoyed some previous success in recruiting from England over the previous few years and by making a concrete offer for the former Aberdeen defender, Clement can sign Connor Goldson 2.0 for the Ibrox side.
Connor Goldson’s statistics at Rangers
Goldson was also an outcast at a Premier League side when the Gers came calling. Steven Gerrard managed to prise the defender away from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer of 2018 as he embarked on rejuvenating the whole club.
The Englishman did not take long to become a mainstay in the first team, missing just three games due to injury in his first four full seasons.
Goldson was one of Gerrard’s finest performers during their historic Premiership title-winning side of 2020/21 as the club conceded just 13 league goals, taking the British record from Chelsea, who conceded 15 during the 2004/05 Premier League season.
The former Brighton defender was a titan during that campaign as he won a staggering 6.8 total duels per match – a success rate of 71% – along with being dribbled past just 0.2 times per game and keeping 26 clean sheets across 38 matches.
The 31-year-old is still thriving at the heart of the defence and helped his side win the League Cup against Aberdeen before Christmas, allowing him to complete a full set of domestic medals.
Overall, Goldson has played nearly 300 times for the Light Blues since 2018 and, with a contract running until 2026, don’t be surprised to see him make over 400 appearances before he departs.
69.4
27.8
5.4
2.9
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
9.5
8.2
McKenna can not only forge a solid partnership with the current Gers player, but he may just be the next version of Goldson.
Scott McKenna’s spell at Nottingham Forest in numbers
The 27-year-old machine faced Goldson many times during his spell at Aberdeen, and it was his performances in the north-east that led to Forest stumping up a fee of around £3m, with £2m in add-ons, to lure him to the Championship.
Following a maiden season where he played just 25 games, the 2021/22 campaign was a much better affair for the defender.
The centre-back featured in all but one league match and played the full 90 minutes as they defeated Huddersfield in the play-off final to earn promotion to the top flight for the first time in the 21st century.
McKenna ranked third among the squad for accurate passes per game (37.4) during the promotion-winning season along with ranking fourth for clearances per game (3.5) and sixth for accurate long balls per game (2.1) which suggests that he was a crucial member of the first team.
He continued to rank highly for his passing attributes during his debut Premier League campaign, finishing third for accurate passes (27.8) and fourth for accurate long balls (1.9) per game, indicating that he was able to successfully pass his way out of trouble.
The Scot was even dubbed “incredible” alongside teammate Willy Boly in February 2023 by writer Callum Castel and, having played a part in keeping Forest in the top flight, it looked as though he was on course for a contract extension.
It has not quite worked out like that, and it is unlikely the defender will ever play for the club again, having not even made the bench for new manager Nuno Espírito Santo’s opening three games in charge.
In fact, his previous match for the club was a 1-1 draw against Burnley in September, and it is clear the £20k-per-week titan needs a fresh start as soon as possible.
With European football to look forward to plus the chance of winning two domestic trophies during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, a move to Ibrox could reinvigorate the defender.
With the chance to secure him on an initial loan move before securing McKenna on a free transfer, the move makes perfect sense for Clement as he looks to add not only quality, but also more homegrown options to his first team squad.
He could arrive as the club's next version of Goldson, as a dominant defensive option who has not been able to establish himself in the top-flight of English football, and go on to become a hero for the Gers.
