da roleta： Glasgow Rangers still have a week before they return to domestic action on 20 January and this will give Philippe Clement some extra time to work with his squad.
da bet sport： The winter break has given the Belgian manager an ideal chance to spend an extended period of time on the training ground with the first team squad, which has culminated in a trip to La Manga.
Hopefully, the chance to regroup and refocus will lead to long-term gains and give the Gers the opportunity to add another couple of trophies during the second half of the season.
So far, striker Fabio Silva has been the only addition to the squad and if Clement is serious about winning the Premiership, another couple of new arrivals will need to be brought in this month.
Naturally, a few names have already been linked with a move to Ibrox this month, yet the latest player to be mentioned could be one of the most exciting yet…
Rangers' search for a new midfielder
It remains no secret that the 49-year-old coach wishes to bring in another midfielder this month, particularly with Ryan Jack and John Lundstram out of contract at the end of the season.
Their future remains unclear at this current moment in time and the onus will be on Clement to bring in another midfielder that could be a long-term solution in the engine room.
According to Football Scotland, the Light Blues have ‘checked on the conditions’ of Marko Bulat, who is currently playing for Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb.
The report states that the 22-year-old is potentially interested in a January move away from his homeland, yet the club could face one major stumbling block.
Dinamo value the midfielder at around £5m and this fee may just price the Gers out this month unless they manage to offload a few bodies.
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Judging by his age and his potential to develop into a top-class player, making a move for the youngster could be a wise investment by the club.
Not only that, but he could become a major upgrade on Jack, who has missed several games this season due to injury and is becoming increasingly unreliable.
Marko Bulat could be an upgrade to Ryan Jack
Jack is currently into his seventh season at the Ibrox side, having joined from Aberdeen in 2017, and he has made over 200 appearances during that time.
On the other hand, prior to the 2023/24 campaign, Jack had missed a staggering 118 matches for the club due to several different injury issues and this is a big worry, especially as he will turn 32 next month.
Can Clement afford to give him an extended contract when he doesn’t know exactly how many times he will be able to feature?
This season, the Scot currently ranks 13th among the squad for goals and assists in the top flight (one), along with ranking 11th for accurate passes per game (27.4), 16th for key passes per game (0.5) and 22nd for tackles per game (0.1) and these statistics clearly indicate that even when he does get a chance in the side, Jack fails to show much influence.
Bulat, however, has been solid for his club this season so far as he currently ranks fourth for goals and assists (five) in the Croatian top flight, while also ranking 15th for accurate passes per game (22.2), sixth for key passes per game (1.3) and ninth for tackles per game (one) and aside from making fewer accurate passes per game than Jack, the Croatian gem has outperformed him in every other metric.
The key thing is, Bulat will only continue to improve, especially playing regularly in European competition, whereas Jack is approaching the end of his career and his stats will only continue to decline.
22.2
27.4
1.3
0.5
3
1
2
0
2.6
0.5
According to Kai Watson, founder of the Rangers Journal, Clement could also be signing a young Ivan Rakitic should he lure Bulat to Glasgow in the next few weeks.
How Marko Bulat compares to Ivan Rakitic
The former Barcelona midfielder was one of the most underrated players of his generation who was simultaneously able to provide a goal-scoring threat along with possessing a wonderful defensive ability.
Indeed, the 35-year-old has played 815 matches throughout his glittering career, scoring 113 goals and registering 135 assists in the process.
These are excellent figures for a player who operated predominantly as a central midfielder during his club career and if the Gers manage to sign Bulat, they could have a player able to provide a goal threat from the engine room.
Watson goes on to praise Bulat when analysing him for the Rangers Journal, saying: “From watching Bulat and looking at the numbers, he reminds me of a young Ivan Rakitić.
“He’s a box-to-box midfielder who is a very capable defender and a goal scoring threat. Technically gifted and intelligent in and out of possession, hence the Rakitić comparison.”
Bulat has already played 171 matches in his club career so far, along with netting 15 goals and grabbing 13 assists, and while it is perhaps too early to suggest he is the next big thing in Croatian football, he is certainly on track to replicate Rakitic.
This season, only three goals have come from Clement’s central midfield options and this is something which needs to improve heading into the second half of the campaign.
Relying on certain players to score is a recipe for disaster and this could heighten the need to add a goalscoring midfielder to the squad.
£5m is a big sum of money on the surface, yet the Light Blues need to properly establish a player trading model which could allow the club to secure major profits on players they sign and develop.
Bulat has a wonderfully high ceiling and constant exposure in European competition will only see him improve and this can work wonders for the Ibrox side in the future.
Their initial £5m could potentially turn into a profit of £15m-£20m and these are the sort of gambles that the manager should be taking to reassert their dominance of Scottish football.