Glasgow Rangers don’t return to action until 20 January and Philippe Clement has whisked his squad away to Spain for a midseason training camp.
Having already played 34 times during the first half of the season, the winter break comes at exactly the right time for the Light Blues and will give them a chance to regroup and refocus ahead of the next few months.
With a League Cup trophy secured and progress to the knockout stages of the Europa League, the previous few weeks have been wonderful, but progress never stops, and the Belgian coach will be desperate to win more silverware.
To do this, however, he may need to delve into the transfer market and lure some new players to Ibrox, otherwise his squad may run out of gas towards the end of the campaign.
Rangers transfer news – Josh Doig
Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio (via Toro Goal) announced that Rangers were one of the number of teams keen on making a move for Josh Doig during the January transfer window.
Clement could face stiff competition for the left-back as Torino have reportedly opened up talks to sign the Scot, while AC Monza and Leeds United are two other teams which have been mentioned regarding a potential swoop.
The deal could cost €6m (£5.2m) for whatever team manages to sign him, yet the Gers could perhaps have the upper hand.
Hellas Verona, the team that Doig plays for, are seemingly interested in making a move for Ridvan Yilmaz, according to Di Marzio, and this could play into Clement’s hands rather well this month.
The Turkish defender cost the Light Blues £5m when he arrived from Besiktas during the summer of 2022 and this is around the fee that the Serie A side are wanting for Doig.
Could there be a potential swap deal in the offing should neither side agree on a transfer fee for their respective targets? It might well come down to that, and it could give Clement the perfect opportunity to move the 22-year-old on and bring someone else in.
Ridvan Yilmaz’s Rangers statistics
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst was the manager who brought in the young defender following the 2021/22 campaign as he sought to give Borna Barisic some added competition, especially as Calvin Bassey departed for Ajax.
Upon his arrival, Yilmaz was widely praised by former sporting director Ross Wilson, who said: "Gio and I were clear in our desire to invest in a high potential and high-quality left-back.
"We have now secured that in the signing of Ridvan Yilmaz. He's a talented young player who has been coveted throughout Europe following outstanding performances for Besiktas.”
23.9
24.1
0.7
1.8
1
4
10.8
15.5
2
1
He looked like a wonderful talent and hopes were high that he could eventually displace Barisic and perhaps go down the same route as Bassey and secure the club a major profit in the future.
Unfortunately, his first season didn’t go to plan. The former Besiktas starlet managed to feature just six times before the mid-season break for the 2022 World Cup, while his debut campaign was further disrupted having suffered a hamstring injury in October, and he subsequently missed 29 matches in all competitions.
He finally returned to action towards the end of the season and started all five of their post-split fixtures, thriving under Michael Beale, and it looked as though he could only get better during 2023/24.
The current campaign has seen the 22-year-old start only ten matches and Beale even left him out of the Europa League group stage squad, meaning the Gers had only one senior option at left-back heading into the games.
He has shown glimpses of form under Clement, particularly in the final game before the winter break against Kilmarnock, where he grabbed an assist, created a big chance and provided two key passes in a solid attacking display.
The consistency simply isn’t there, however, and this could give the former Club Brugge coach the licence to ditch him this month and lure Doig back to Scotland, especially as it would boost the homegrown quota for European matches.
Josh Doig’s career statistics
The in-demand talent has plenty of experience in Scottish football, having previously played for Hibernian. The 21-year-old made his debut during the 2019/20 season before firmly establishing himself as a regular the following season, making 35 appearances in all competitions.
His displays convinced Verona to sign him ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, having been given a notable send-off by Hibs hero, Lewis Stevenson at the time, who even likened Doig to a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
Speaking back in the summer of 2022, Stevenson said: "Josh has potential to go to the top level. He is 6ft 3in, fast, strong. Even just looking at him with his top off – without meaning to sound creepy – he looks like Ronaldo, with that kind of physique.
"He just is an athlete and that is half the battle nowadays. Everyone here wishes him all the best"
Like the former Juventus man before him, the 6 foot 3 defender is currently shining in Serie A, ranking in the top 7% when compared to players in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons per 90 (1.69) and in the top 21% for total shots per 90 (0.94), certainly proving he is a valuable attacking outlet from the left-hand side of the defence.
His defensive abilities have also improved during his spell in Italy and in the league this term, Doig has only been dribbled past on 0.4 occasions per game while he has won 3.1 total duels per game – a success rate of 53% – and there is no doubt he could be an excellent addition to the current Gers squad.
Rangers could sign Barisic replacement in Josh Doig
Rangers could sign a dream Borna Barisic replacement in Hibernian starlet Josh Doig.
Young, homegrown and with a wonderfully “high ceiling” – as so dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig last January – the signing makes perfect sense, and he would be returning to Scotland a much better player than when he left in the summer of 2022.
With Yilmaz struggling to gain regular game time combined with Barisic’s contract expiring this summer, the left-back area is one of immediate concern for Clement.
He could solve this problem by allowing Yilmaz to join Verona this month and securing the services of Doig in return, and it would be a piece of transfer business which could go down rather well with the supporters.
There are still a few weeks to go before the window shuts, and it gives the 49-year-old coach a chance to assess his options, yet Doig clearly has the potential to further improve and become a mainstay at left-back in the coming years, that’s for sure.
