Rangers manager Philippe Clement has been speaking to the media ahead of his side's 2024/25 Premiership opening game against Hearts. Here is everything he had to say.

  • Clement explains the reason behind a new four-year contract
  • Robin Propper is fit to face Hearts but Rangers are still waiting on clearance
  • Dujon Sterling will miss the trip to Edinburgh through injury 

READ MORE: Check all the Rangers transfer news & rumours before the transfer window

Can you tell us how your new contract came about?

That’s a long story! It started coming into the building in October when there is a lot of fire and negativity. At that moment your focus is to change that and put the fires down. To work with the resources in the building, to get results better and change also the interaction between player and fans. All the focus was on that and I think everyone in the building did a good job in that way, there was a positive turnaround. Along the way you see more and more things and discuss everything this club can do better or were good, we had a lot of discussion around that in the last couple of months with the board and chairman, the people in the building. Then at the end of the season you conclude what I said to you all - it was in many ways the end of a cycle. You had six players out of contract where we wanted to resign some but they chose places where they could pay more money, or there were older players who it was better to replace with younger ones. We had discussions about recruitment, how to do that, how to have it more in a way you don’t arrive at situations where six players leave for zero pounds, you need to replace them with players who cost money so it was a crazy situation. To think longer term in those things and create added value out of player trading because it was not done in the years before. You need to look at those type of potentials also and keep balance in the squad. We discussed all those things and why we had so many injuries, we talked about infrastructure. It doesn’t mean I was involved in the stadium or something… In that way, you feel aligned with the people deciding things in the club. It doesn’t mean we always agree, that would not be healthy. There is open, transparent conversations about things. At the end we come to the conclusion that we all go for that. That’s been the case in seven months together and at the end of May, we had more and more talks. You feel the alignment and then the club said they wanted to be sure I’d stay for the longer term. Not only to train the team but also for the other things around. I feel good here. I love this place, club, city, fans, atmosphere. So it was my feeling also to do it longer-term and not sit and wait until something more interesting comes in my mind. No, I really want to give all my best every second for this club because I love to be here. It was decided end of May and then it is about how to put it in a contract that is good for both sides. 

How close do you feel you are to getting the squad where you want it?

It is difficult to use the right words. I am 200 percent sure we will be much better in October, November and December and the months coming after. That is normal if you see how many players have left and joined, how many young players we have brought in who still need to learn things. In that way it is a squad with a lot of potential, more than last season with the things we still want to do. Does it mean tomorrow we will see the best Rangers better than last season? I think you will see some interesting things, I am confident about that. We are not there yet at our best, no. That’s asking the impossible.

Will patience be required in the early months of the campaign? 

It’s logical there needs to be patience but it doesn’t mean some things can’t click really fast, that is always the challenge. You have players who adapt really fast and a week after stepping into the building show their best football and you have players who need weeks, some months, to get used to things. I don’t know what manager can predict that - it’s impossible. Of course, we need time with the team also, the way we want to play it is in a structure with the ball and without it. That means you need experience out of that, you make faults and learn out of it. It’s like a book, every day is a page and every week there are a few and it becomes thicker. In that way it is easier if you have in seven months you keep the core you had and add with a few new signings to make it better, then we would be better now. But the club was in another moment with contracts and the age of players and their level as we had several going down in form instead of growing in form. It is another moment so you need time to fit the puzzle in every sense.

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What will Robin Propper bring?

He is going to bring leadership. He is going to bring coaching qualities on the pitch and a good example to young players of how to be professional. He has really good qualities on the ball also, so he is going to help us to play a good kind of football. 

Is he a good example of the type of strategy the club needs to use to get an experienced player for a small fee?

Yes, you need to be on top of things so you need to be inventive. We know we don’t have the biggest budget so you need to use the resources to find opportunities in the market, with players who have the quality to make the project better. I don’t speak only about himself and what he does on the pitch but also the things around. Having somebody like him is gold for players like Clinton Nsiala, it’s why we also resigned Leon Balogun. It’s not only to play his games or be part on the pitch but also off it. It’s important to create a top sport culture where everyone is on their toes every day. With the ambition to become better. If we can create this culture it is our job as a staff to give them all the tools to develop every day and challenge them. You need people with the right mentality coming into the building. We had a lot of talks with these players before they came in about that, themselves, their past and their experience. But also what Rangers is about because this is a special place to come to. You love it or you hate it. I love it which is why I want to stay.

Is he able to play tomorrow?

We don’t know yet because I don’t think all the papers are already arranged. The good thing is physically he is ready to play games because he had a normal preparation with FC Twente who play at a good level and he played enough games. Of course, he needs to adapt to how we want to play because it’s different to Twente.

Would you like to bring in more players like Robin?

It depends what position. That is another part of the story because like I said in the beginning, we can take for a few days about what we discussed in the last months, there are so many things. First you need the vision of what to do and how to do it. Above that we are aligned. One of the important points for this club is to reduce the number of loans. Otherwise every season if you have several, you are in a situation where the player does well and it becomes too expensive to keep them in the building. I think [Abdallah] Sima is a good example of that for the moment. I think it needs to be our ambition to reduce that year upon year. We can’t fix it in one transfer window. You need time for that and that’s what we want to do together. 

Do you envision any players going out - have there been any bids?

Not that I know, they probably will tell me at the end if there is ever a bid big enough for the club so I don’t know every bid that comes in and I don’t want to also, because it is not interesting. What is interesting is what players show in training and games and Tav has shown that all the time that he wants to play so there is no difference for me.

How far away is the squad from where you need it to be?

One month. I know what you mean! We will see, we still have several positions where we have the ambition to make it better, we will see with the budget how we can do it in a good way. I spoke about loans, getting players in and opportunities. Normally for the amount of money we pay now for Propper you can never get him, it’s because he had a situation last year when the club stopped him from going and he had a clause in his contract. Those things are also important in that way that I cannot know for the moment. What I know is everyone in the club gives everything to get the best possible squad now in this window. Everyone is doing that and I feel the support of the board but it does not mean we can just spend whatever we want. That is not the case and we know the reality in that way. We also altogether made some money free by having lower wages now from players coming in than players who were here, for example. We need to be very inventive to create a budget in that way with the support from the board and investors who have been helping as much as we can. 

How does the squad look for tomorrow?

I feel a lot of excitement this week. Yesterday I had to stop some guys who were so excited that they were really into the tackles that were not necessary in that moment. There is a really good vibe in the building and I feel a really hungry squad to show themselves. We will see the situation with the new players, Vaclac is available to play but he is just training and after the Euros and a holiday has just trained here, so we need to be smart with him also. The rest of the team was already here last season and they are very hungry. 

Is Dujon Sterling fit?

No, he will not be available tomorrow. I hope to get him fit for Tuesday but for tomorrow not yet.