Glasgow Rangers made just three signings during the January transfer market, yet all three could play a key part in the squad between now and May.
Fabio Silva has already gotten off the mark at the Gers, scoring in a 3-0 win over Livingston last weekend, while Mohamed Diomande and Oscar Cortes are prodigious young talents who could breathe some freshness into the starting XI.
Philippe Clement could have perhaps added another new face or two to his squad if he had a better budget, yet this would have resulted in him having to move a couple of players on last month.
Despite the hectic schedule the Ibrox side face in the coming months, shipping out some deadwood may have been the right decision, especially with certain members of the first team squad failing to really contribute.
Scott Wright is one name that crops up with regard to underwhelming displays this term, and it is highly likely he will be moved on in the summer.
Scott Wright’s statistics for Rangers this season
The winger joined the Gers three years ago, yet aside from the odd big moment or two, he hasn’t enjoyed a consistent run of games under the previous three managers.
He won a Premiership title medal after just four months at the club, and he scored in the 2022 Scottish Cup final, just days after starting in the Europa League final loss to Eintracht Frankfurt, but has failed to really kick on from those moments since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
Indeed, throughout the whole of last season, Wright registered just two assists across 34 matches in all competitions and come the summer transfer window, it looked as though he was departing the Light Blues.
A move to Turkish side Pendikspor was close to going through, with Wright even flying over to the country in order to thrash out personal terms, but just a few weeks later, Michael Beale ruled out an exit for the player.
“Wright is a Rangers player for the foreseeable until anything changes," stated Beale and Wright was given a reprieve, but it is one that he has failed to take full advantage of.
The 26-year-old has found the back of the net just twice this term, both in cup competitions, and he has failed to really impress Clement of his abilities since the Belgian arrived last October.
Among his teammates, the former Aberdeen gem currently ranks in a lowly 14th position for shots per game (1.4) in the top flight, along with ranking 21st for big chances created (one) and 15th for successful dribbles per game (0.4), proving that even when he does play, his performances have failed to demonstrate his talents.
He has only started three matches under the current regime, and he could be made surplus to requirements in the summer.
This would leave the Gers with just Ross McCausland as their only right-winger, but could the 49-year-old tactician unearth another academy starlet to take over from Wright in the coming months?
Rangers' best talent after Ross McCausland
McCausland has now firmly established himself in the senior side under Clement, but Archie Stevens, another talented wide man from the academy, could certainly become an ideal heir for Wright in the future.
Stevens joined the club when Giovanni van Bronckhorst was still in charge during the summer of 2022, making the move from AFC Wimbledon, and he felt Ibrox was the best choice for him to develop his skills, despite various other sides chasing his signature.
He made his senior bow alongside Paul Nsio and Zak Lovelace during a League Cup tie against Queen of the South in August 2022 and during an interview last summer, Stevens described his abilities.
“I have enjoyed the games I have featured in so far. I play on the wing and my main attributes are my dribbling and speed,” stated the confident youngster. “I am a positive player who likes to get forward and I like to think I am quite exciting to watch when I have the ball.”
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His former academy manager, Michael Hamilton, lavished praise on the teenager and claimed he is much stronger on the right flank than anywhere else on the pitch.
“He’s a very attack-minded player,” Hamilton gushed. “His stronger position is on the right, he scores goals, he creates some things out of nothing, he’s got the ability to beat two, three players at a time and creating so he’s a highly effective player.”
The 18-year-old is still developing and has not made another first-team appearance since that tie against Queen of the South, but if he keeps working hard and progressing in the academy, there is no doubt Clement will give him some minutes.
The winger has also made a splash for the England youth teams, making seven appearances for the U17 side, scoring once, before stepping up and playing three games for the U18 team last year, and the next age group will be Stevens' next target.
McCausland has proven that if you are good enough, you will be given a shot in the first team and, while injury problems certainly aided his advancement into the starting XI during the early stages of Clement’s reign, that’s not to say he won't be looking at other youth talents.
His transfer mantra appears to be in securing deals for young players who have yet to hit their peak, with Diomande and Cortes two fine examples.
If he can shift out the likes of Wright during the summer and supplement his squad with a few experienced professionals combined with talented young stars, then it could make for a team which can dominate in Scotland over the coming years.
Stevens may not be near a first-team call-up at this moment in time, but if he remains patient and performs well for the B team during the rest of the season, Clement may be at liberty to give him some senior minutes.
The likes of Stevens, Lovelace, Nsio and Bailey Rice all have the required attributes to eventually become decent players for the club in the foreseeable future and the Belgian coach can save himself plenty of money in the transfer market by unearthing these gems.
