Official: Contract signed” personal terms Agreed” announcement date booked” Rangers fc Clement Philippe finally got his first choice..
The Premiership schedule for Glasgow Rangers was revealed on Thursday. The Ibrox team is expected to have a challenging league season. On the first weekend, they go to Tynecastle to play Hearts. Given that the Jambos placed third in the previous season, Philippe Clement’s team will need to perform at their highest level to win the first game and earn all three points.
It’s unclear where the Light Blues will play their “home” games in the first few weeks of the upcoming term because of the Ibrox construction delay, but winning every game is what matters most. The Belgian has been actively seeking to enhance his squad through transfers, and he recently revealed the signing of another player.
Rangers sign a former academy graduate
It was crucial that the manager moved quickly to bolster his team after the Gers lost a few players at the end of the previous campaign owing to their contracts expiring, particularly when it came to bringing in homegrown talent. Goalie Liam Kelly, a two-year signee from Motherwell, is the most recent addition to the team.
Kelly, of course, came via Auchenhowie’s youth program; but, in 2018, he left Rangers in pursuit of playing football with the first team. Although Clement made a wise acquisition, there may be more this week as the team is getting closer to making a deal for a striker who has been connected to them for a number of weeks.
Rangers closing in on signing Hamza Igamane
After weeks of attention, the Light Blues are reportedly getting close to signing Moroccan team AS FAR attacker Hamza Igamane. The Ibrox team signed the center-forward for approximately £1.7 million, according to a story published in The Daily Record last week. Clement wanted to increase his attacking options.
There has been no news to suggest that the athlete is now officially a Rangers player, despite the story stating that a physical had been scheduled and an announcement would follow. With no signs of slowing down in the transfer market, this news from Sky Sports indicates that the Belgian is getting close to eventually adding him to his playing squad for the upcoming season.
Losing Kemar Roofe, Abdallah Sima and Fabio Silva following the conclusion of the 2023/24 season means the Gers urgently require some attacking reinforcements.
Hamza Igamane’s statistics last season for AS FAR
Long gone are the days of the club signing marquee names from abroad which immediately caught the attention of the supporters.
Nowadays, Clement has to be smart in the transfer window, which indicates hunting far and wide for potential signings.
Igamane may have spent last season in Morocco, yet that shouldn’t take away from just how impressive he was in the final third.
Indeed, across just 23 matches in all competitions, the 21-year-old found the back of the net seven times, while grabbing six assists, showcasing his talents for both scoring and creating chances for others.
He is far from the finished article, yet regular game time in the Premiership and in European competition will give the youngster plenty of opportunity for growth in the next few years.
Domestically, Igamane averaged 2.9 shots per game while also succeeding with 1.9 dribbles per game – a success rate of 64% – and winning an impressive 6.7 total duels per game.
Not only does he love taking the ball past opposition defenders, but his physicality is scarily impressive for such a young talent. With the Scottish game filled with defenders who love to bully players such as Igamane, it is clear he won’t be fazed by this should he join Rangers.
He was recently praised by journalist Beth Limb earlier this year, who said via X: “Confident with the ball at his feet, capable of shooting with both feet and links up play very well.
“One to watch in the future.”
The ability to link up well with his teammates will be something which could make him an important member of the squad, especially if Todd Cantwell operates behind him in a number ten role.
Why Hamza Igamane could flourish with Cantwell
Last season, the English attacking midfielder registered five assists in the Premiership while also creating seven big chances and averaging 1.7 key passes per game.
These statistics, although good, are hardly spectacular. Perhaps the former Norwich City starlet requires someone of Igamane’s talent to play in front of him in order to improve these numbers next season.
There is no doubting Cantwell’s obvious talent, yet he can be fairly inconsistent, which is of no use when the club need to win every single match.
The Moroccan is impressive when linking play in order to create chances and this could see Clement form a wonderful attacking duo between the pair next season
