Glasgow Rangers have taken off to Spain for a mid-season training camp in the hopes that the sunshine could rejuvenate tired bodies ahead of the second half of the season which begins on 20 January.
Philippe Clement will be under no illusions that winning one trophy is enough as boss of the Ibrox side and, while League Cup success was required, more silverware will be expected.
The Belgian has accumulated plenty of credit in the bank during his first three months in charge and with the January transfer window now in operation, he could bolster his squad adequately.
Several areas of the team need a fresh face or two, none more so than the left back area and there have been a few names already mentioned.
Josh Doig was a player who was linked, yet it appears as though this move may have bypassed the Gers with a recent update on his situation.
Rangers' interest in Josh Doig
Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio (via Toro Goal) claimed towards the end of 2023 that the Light Blues were one of the teams battling it out for Hellas Verona left-back Josh Doig this month as he looks set to leave the Serie A club.
Torino, AC Monza and Leeds United are also keen on signing the defender in January as Clement appeared to face stiff competition for the youngster.
Rangers could sign Barisic replacement in Josh Doig
Rangers could sign a dream Borna Barisic replacement in Hibernian starlet Josh Doig.
Indeed, a recent update by the Scottish Sun, Torino have tabled a £3.5m offer plus add-ons, a 10% sell-on clause along with sending midfielder Gvidas Gineitis to Verona on loan and this could be too good for the club to turn down.
This suggests that the Gers have potentially missed out on luring Doig back to Scotland – where he won the Young Player of the Year award in 2021 – and it could be back to the drawing board for Clement.
Ridvan Yilmaz may be close to joining Verona for a fee in the region of £3m according to reports in Italy (via the Sun) and this heightens the need for another left-sided defender.
The 49-year-old could forget all about Doig, however, by focusing his interest on highly rated Dutch defender Gijs Smal, who has been linked with a move to Scotland.
Rangers' interest in Gijs Smal
Reports in the Netherlands over the weekend (via the Scottish Sun) claim that the Gers are monitoring FC Twente left-back Smal as a potential target this month.
The good news is his contract expires this summer, which indicates that he wouldn’t break the bank should he complete a move in January. He could even arrive for nothing in the summer, yet Clement will be looking to bring in another defender sooner rather than later.
Sam Lammers
31
Ronald Waterreus
59
Frank de Boer
15
Fernando Ricksen
223
Bert Konterman
100
Ronald de Boer
111
Michael Mols
128
Arthur Numan
154
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
103
Theo Snelders
6
Peter van Vossen
8
Pieter Huistra
9
The Dutch side will be doing everything they can to keep a hold of the 6-foot gem, however, with their technical director Arnold Bruggink saying: "Of course we would very much like it if Gijs signed a new deal with us. But both parties have to want that. And we have to be realistic about that part of his future sadly."
Celtic have previously shown their interest in the Twente gem, but it looks as though it is the Ibrox side who are currently leading the chase to bring him to Scotland in the near future.
Gijs Smal’s season in numbers
The 26-year-old has missed a large chunk of the campaign due to suffering a calf injury, but he has started Twente’s previous seven matches in the Eredivisie, indicating that he is returning to full fitness.
Despite a lack of game time this term, Smal has still shown his attacking capabilities from a left-back slot, as he currently ranks fifth in the squad for key passes per game (1.5) along with ranking sixth for successful dribbles per game (0.6) and for shots per game (1.6), underling how impressive he has been going forward.
Indeed, the defender has also shone when compared to his positional peers in similar leagues in Europe, as he ranks in the top 6% for assists, shot-creating actions, progressive carries, and total shots per 90, which is further evidence of how good he is at pushing forward down the left-hand side on a regular basis.
Securing a player like this without having to pay a transfer fee would be a wonderful piece of business, but the reality is, Clement may need to shell out something this month in order to sign him.
How Gijs Smal compares to Josh Doig
Kai Watson – the founder of the Rangers Journal – analysed Smal due to his links with the club, and he dubbed the 26-year-old as “much more aggressive on the defensive end” compared to Borna Barisic while also saying he “would provide quality deliveries from the left” and a move is a no-brainer.
When compared to Doig, not only has Smal registered more shots per 90 (1.66 vs 0.61), but he also has a higher pass completion percentage (79.3% vs 73.9), generated more shot-creating actions per 90 (3.93 vs 1.09) and has taken more touches in the final third (134 vs 97), suggesting he is a much better attacking option than the former Hibs starlet.
Defensively, the Dutchman wins more aerial duels per game (0.8 vs 0.5), but Doig holds the upper hand when it comes to tackles (1.5 vs 0.9) and clearances (1.3 vs 0.9) along with losing possession on fewer occasions per game (9.9 vs 11.6) and it is clear from the statistics that while Smal is a much better option going forward, Doig looks more solid from a defensive viewpoint.
Barisic’s game is built on attacking as often as possible and this could be something which Clement wishes his next first-choice left-back to continue to do.
If so, Smal must be the main target as he could generate plenty of chances for his teammates during games and this will only benefit the attack.
It could be a long few weeks for the supporters as they wait to sign more players following the arrival of Fabio Silva late last month and Clement will hopefully avoid the mistakes of his predecessors by making all his January signings before deadline day.
