Glasgow Rangers were meant to overhaul the playing squad in the summer window by selling various first-team players while adding in high-quality replacements.
Philippe Clement did manage to offload high earners such as Sam Lammers, John Lundstram, Connor Goldson and Borna Barisic, but the reality is, the incomings have been fairly underwhelming as a whole.
Clement is certainly going for a youth-based transfer policy, as evidenced by the signings of Clinton Nsiala, Connor Barron, Hamza Igamane and Oscar Cortes.
A few experienced arrivals joined, with Vaclav Cerny proving, in the first few weeks of the season anyway, that he could be an inspired signing for the Light Blues.
Vaclav Cerny’s statistics for Rangers
The winger joined on a season-long loan deal from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg and has impressed so far.
In just six games this term, the Czech dynamo has scored once while grabbing two assists in the process. He has started just three of those matches, however. Once the 26-year-old manages to establish regular appearances in the starting XI, his output will only increase.
The player was only signed by FC Twente last summer for £6m, hence why the Light Blues opted for a loan move rather than a permanent one, as Wolfsburg would likely have held out for a fee in this region.
Clement does have a player he signed in the squad who is worth more than Cerny, however, in the form of Mohamed Diomande.
Mohamed Diomande’s market value at Rangers
The Ivorian initially joined the Ibrox side in January on a six-month loan, before making the move to Scotland permanently in the summer for a fee of £4.6m.
A tally of two goals across 19 appearances during the second half of last term showcased his talents early on in his spell and hopes were high for the current season.
Diomande may not have scored this season in the Premiership, but the dynamic midfielder has already grabbed an assist, created two big chances, averaged one key pass per game and succeeded with 1.3 dribbles per game – a success rate of 57% – which shows how effective he has been going forwards in the league this term.
The 22-year-old is still learning and developing with every passing game, but the consensus is he will be sold for a substantial profit in the coming years if he manages to keep up these levels of performance.
Goals
0
Assists
1
Big chances created
2
Key passes per game
1
Shots per game
1
Total duels won per game
3.3
According to the CIES Football Observatory, the young gem is currently worth €12m (£10m) and this value will continue to rise if he continues to shine in Scotland.
Cerny has proven his worth thus far at Rangers, but Diomande is still worth far beyond the £6m-rated Czech wide man, indicating that the Belgian manager struck gold on signing the Ivorian midfielder at the start of the year.
He won't be at the club long, that’s for sure, as his ceiling appears to be limitless. Diomande will be one of the club’s key players this season, no doubt about that.
Rangers struck gold on "high quality" gem who's worth more than Propper
Philippe Clement has a player in his squad who is worth more than a new signing
ByRoss KilvingtonAug 3, 2024