Rangers could reignite move for 21 y/o “finisher” who’d be Kent 2.0
Rangers boss Philippe Clement could turn to the January transfer window to improve his squad.
In the Premiership, he guided the squad to a convincing 4-0 victory against Hibernian last week. In the Europa League group stages, he earned a well-earned point in Prague.
Sparta Prague were by far the better side during the midweek clash, yet the Light Blues prevented them from scoring and could even have scored the winner towards the end of the game, with Danilo smashing an effort off the crossbar.
Progress has been made and Clement faces another test against Hearts on Sunday afternoon, with another win building up momentum in the league.
The team that Michael Beale left behind will need to be dealt with by the Belgian, and it’s safe to say that some of the summer additions have not performed up to par.
Sam Lammers has only scored once so far, against Livingston in August, which is a pitiful return given the Gers had to pay £3 million to get his services.
Another aggressive player who arrived in Glasgow with high hopes but has fallen short of them is Cyriel Dessers. The Nigerian international has only scored four goals in 17 games, far short of what is needed to succeed at Ibrox.
Could the former Club Brugge manager be tempted to delve into the January transfer window in order to sign another attacker or two? If Lammers and Dessers continue their poor form, he may need to.
Rangers’ January transfer plans
When speaking with the media prior to the Hearts game, the 49-year-old may have hinted that he may make one or more signings in the upcoming months, saying: “I am here to build the team and make them stronger – that is where my focus lies and not on any external noise.” To determine what has to be done in January, we must put in a lot of effort in the upcoming weeks and months. You have to find answers when there are injuries, but we had people who could step in, and that’s what I expect.”
He will, of course, have his own transfer targets in mind and could spend the next few weeks exploring certain options, but Clement could potentially reignite a move for a previous summer target at Rangers, as Sam Bell was a player Beale was keen on signing.
TEAMtalk reports that the Gers were monitoring Bell, but his performances for Bristol City put him up against serious competition from teams like Brentford, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Despite the desire expressed in him, the 21-year-old decided to stay with the Robins. He had a great start to the season, scoring four goals in his first nine league games, which may have sparked rumors in the coming weeks.
Bell could be the perfect addition for the Rangers, since he has demonstrated qualities like to those of Ryan Kent. The team needs another reliable goal threat.
Rangers miss Ryan Kent
Former Ibrox winger Ryan Kent departed after five seasons at the club due to his contract expiring, and while Abdallah Sima has performed well on the left wing, the Gers have missed the presence of Kent in their side.
The Englishman registered 89 goal contributions
– 33 goals and 56 assists – across 218 matches for the Light Blues, and while he may have only scored three goals during his final campaign in Scotland, his ability to constantly cause havoc for the opposition defence is something Beale failed to replace during the summer.
While his goalscoring output was lower than expected, Kent did still rank fourth across the squad for big chances created (nine) in the Premiership, while ranking third for key passes (2.2) and first for successful dribbles per game (1.9), indicating that his creative juices were still flowing.
Sima has chipped in with nine goals in just 17 matches
, yet he is only on a season-long loan from Brighton, and the Ibrox faithful mustn’t get too attached to him.
Bell is young, has experience in the English second tier and is a goalscoring winger who can also operate through the middle. Clement must surely take another look at the youngster.
Sam Bell has impressed for Bristol City this season
The Englishman made his debut for the club during the 2020/21 season, but it wasn’t until last term that he began to leave his mark on the side.
He scored six times while grabbing three assists in 29 matches, which set him up rather nicely for the current campaign, where he has already bettered his league goal tally from last term.
The youngster is even embodying similar traits to Kent by ranking second across the squad for big chances created in the Championship (three), while ranking fifth for key passes per game (0.8) and sixth for successful dribbles per game (0.6), showing that he is one of the better attacking options at the club.
| Sam Bell’s Championship stats | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 3 | 4 |
| Assists | 1 | 0 |
| Key passes per game | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Successful dribbles per game | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Big chances created | 2 | 3 |
| Stats via Sofascore | ||
Of course, he isn’t quite at Kent’s level yet, but Bell has plenty of time to develop, and Clement could be the ideal coach for him.
His manager at City, Nigel Pearson, has described Bell as a “naturally clean finisher” and this attribute has been on show during the opening few months of the season.
The player has only 18 months remaining on his current contract, which might be good news for the Light Blues, who could potentially secure him for a lower price than anticipated during their original interest in the summer.
Due to the form of Lammers and Dessers, Clement might not be able to wait until next summer to get a move sorted, with January being the perfect chance for Bell to arrive and continue his excellent form.
Whatever the outcome, the Belgian will need to decide for himself on the talented winger and act quickly, as many other teams will be vying for his services when the transfer market reopens.
