Rangers officials have reportedly initiated talks to secure the loan signing of a Sweden international for Philippe Clement during the January transfer window.
The start of 2025 has been eventful at Ibrox. Rangers began the year with a victory over their rivals Celtic in their first Scottish Premiership match but then dropped points in away games against Dundee and Hibernian.
These results have reignited pressure on Clement, but CEO Patrick Stewart recently confirmed the club’s support for the Belgian manager. Speaking to Sky Sports, Stewart stated:
“I need to make some tough decisions, it comes with the role, but I am committed to making the right ones for Rangers, not just the popular ones. So cutting to the chase, we are backing Philippe at this time as a board.
“It’s about taking a deeper look at the issues, addressing those problems, and staying focused on building a stronger future for the club.
“Changing a manager isn’t a silver-bullet solution. You know where I’ve worked previously, and that isn’t something that has been effective there, it’s not effective at a lot of football clubs where there’s constant change of manager.”
Stewart also discussed Rangers’ January transfer window plans, acknowledging that signing a center-back is a priority for the club, even though the winter market presents challenges for completing deals.
“The January window generally isn’t a particularly fruitful window. Most selling clubs do not want to sell their best players. We have no intention of selling the players that are performing on the park at the moment and why would we expect any other club that’s challenging for trophies to do so.
“All of that said… I think there are a couple of scenarios where it can be really effective. Firstly where a club has suffered injuries such as we have – particularly a centre-back – it is an opportunity to make a reactive signing. This is a position we’ve been looking at since December and so we have been active in discussions.”
Stewart and technical director Nils Koppen have reportedly shown interest in several center-backs, including Jonny Evans from Manchester United, Grant Hanley from Norwich City, and Richard King from Cavalier FC. However, a new potential target has now surfaced.
Rangers make approach for Sweden international
Swedish outlet Expressen reports that Rangers have initiated talks to sign Burnley defender Hjalmar Ekdal. However, the Gers face competition for the 26-year-old center-back, as Stoke City, QPR, and Middlesbrough have also expressed interest.
Ekdal, a Sweden international, is likely to be loaned out by Burnley this month, with additional interest coming from abroad, including Sampdoria, Empoli, Brescia, and Groningen.
Former Burnley boss Vincent Kompany praised Ekdal and Ameen Al-Dakhil back in 2023, calling the duo “intelligent”. “They’re intelligent players and that helps. They communicate, they understand when asked to do certain tasks and they’ve got the athleticism.
“In times when they’re not quite in the right position, or they haven’t done something perfect, they’re able to compensate. They’re centre backs who are quite mobile, you could go on a run in the forest and they’ll run with the midfielders.”
