Clement on Rangers' transfer window and Kent and Morelos 'legacy'

How do you assess the window?

These have been really busy months and weeks. I spoke about it at the end of last season - it was the end of a cycle at the club. I don't think everybody realised truly what I was talking about. You had a squad where a lot of players were into their 30s, would not progress any more, would not become any better than they were. You also had players who were at the end of a contract and were going to leave the club. There are 16 players from last season’s squad who are not here anymore. And there is still a possibility - not around players who are in the squad training, but from players who are not training with the squad - that they will still leave the club now. That's a lot, that's for sure an end of a cycle. It was also in staff that we had to make some changes to what we did. It's a massive rebuild. We looked at four layers in that way, to get experienced players in the building, like the Proppers, the Cernys, the Liam Kellys, and those kind of players, and now with Bajrami also. We were looking for high potential young players who could step in short term to do directly the job, but who could also be added value for the future. You can say [players like] Diomande, Cortes, Conor Barron, Jefte. Then the young potentials who are more for the long term. And then also to give more chances to academy players. We worked in that way across the transfer window. Of course, the more money that comes into the club, the more money you can spend. That's been not much because of the situation, and the legacy of the past, and the contracts of the past. We had to work with that - and it's important to use that word also, ‘we’, because it's not an ;I’ story, it's a ‘we’ story. That means the board, me, recruitment. We knew that it would take time, and probably it would not be possible also in one transfer window. Although everybody made the biggest efforts to do as much as possible this window.

Can you tell us about Bajrami and Kasanwirjo?

Neraysho is a versatile defender, and the important thing for me also is that he's used to playing in Feyenoord, in De Kuip, a stadium where you have a similar atmosphere to Ibrox, with fans who are demanding, who are on top of the players, who are on top of the pitch. Even though he’s a young player, he has the experience, also with Holland U21, and playing abroad already, so he can give us versatility to be one of the centre-backs, but also can play on right or left full-back. He gives more depth in the squad in that way. With Nedim Bajrami we have somebody with experience at the highest levels, who can play in midfield, but also can play on the wings. So that helps the squad in the totality.

Any change in the Hagi situation?

I cannot say anything now, because they're not really any development for the moment.

Could he be reintegrated? 

We spoke about that months ago, we were really open and honest with him and his agent, that we don't see him becoming the next number 10 for Rangers for the next couple of years, so to look out for other opportunities. That story stays the same, and for sure with Bajrami now in the building, you have this situation. We will see those things in the future, I will not say anything about that now.

Are you happy with the window?

It's not what I've done, it's what we have done all together with the resources that were available. Let's say it like that. I think there's a lot of things done already. But it's not only short term, it's also long term. And we had to do that as a club. If we had only fone for short-term, for sure it would have cost more money and that was also not possible. And we need to create value also for the future of this club, so that you don't keep on going in the same cycle that was going on. At the end of last season, six players left at the end of their contracts, with no added value to the club and the year before we had several of those as well. I remember Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos leaving also the club, and they were big assets in the year before, they were worth a lot of money. So, yeah, that's a legacy from the past that we cannot change in one transfer window. But it created also a more difficult situation for everybody. But I believe that everybody together found a lot of young talent, a lot of exciting talent, and it's now about working hard with them, to develop them, to make them better. And also keeping an experienced core that can guide them on and off the pitch in the dressing room. So we had a tough challenge to find a balance in that.

Could your deadline day signings feature tomorrow?

Nedim is fit, but his paperwork is not totally done, so he will not be available. Neraysho will be available, but he only trained one time with the squad and he's just new here. So those are things also to take into consideration, of course.

Any other injury news?

The only thing is that Ridvan Yilmaz is still out, but for the rest, everybody is available. So that's also one important part of this rebuild, to get a fit squad.

How vital is a positive result?

It's always very important for everything. For the fans, we know it's the game of the season. For us also, it's your biggest rival. It's three important points in the league, but you have 34 games also after. But for perception also, because I think there's been a more negative perception around the club, with the stadium, with elimination from the Champions League, all those circumstances, all these things. People forget sometimes also to see what's going well. We won the last game 6-0 and it could have been more than six. People have told me that it was more than four years since that happened. It’s not all bad. This is an exciting project, and an exciting squad also now to build on. It's not a finished article and I know we're going to play against a team with a lot of experience, who have played a long time together, who have played a lot of European games, Champions League games, and league games, all together getting this experience and learning from that. They will probably replace one player [O’Riley] with another player [Bernardo] who was there last season.Someone who has trained with them so they know everything together. We are a young exciting team who want to challenge that now. But I believe we also have the quality to challenge that and to go full out for the three points. We are going to go full out for that. But the finished article is not yet here. That's normal because we are rebuilding a lot, replacing 16 players. We can’t do that in five training sessions or whatever.

Cortes is back in training?

He's back in training, yes, so it's now, of course, about building up his game fitness.But he's back in full training.

Are you excited about the young players you've signed?

Yes, but I don't need young players for that. I'm somebody who's not afraid of that. To work with young players and to give them chances. It's also the situation that you need to look at the market and what things cost. And what's then the most interesting for the club for the moment. So I know it's more risky, of course, with young talents who don't have the experience. How are they going to react to the next step? It's difficult to predict, and nobody can predict that fully. You have really positive stories already, I think. If you see the level that Conor Barron or Jefte have been showing these last weeks. That's already higher than everybody expected. Maybe less me, but a lot of people from outside. They’re making good steps. And others need maybe a little bit more time for that. So we're going to work really hard every day on that to make things better and better.

Your thoughts on the Europa League draw?

It’s challenging, but I think it's a good thing. I watched the Champions League draw. I watched the Europa League draw. And if I see the group we're in now, I think some Champions League draws are - I won’t say easier, but maybe less challenging with fewer big teams. Like having Tottenham and Man United in that group. There are other Champions League draws not in that way. So it's a great challenge for my squad. Because you play against the best and there you learn the most. And we had it before also in Bruges. These Champions League games helped young players a lot to learn lessons. And you'll be challenged in a different way than you are in the league. So I think it's a positive thing for the club. Of course, in terms of results, the higher the level is, the more difficult it is. But we're going to go for it.