Glasgow Rangers summer transfer activity so far has proved that Philippe Clement is keen on undertaking a rebuild at Ibrox.
So far, five players have been released, as Borna Barisic, John Lundstram, Ryan Jack, Kemar Roofe and Jon McLaughlin were told they wouldn’t be getting extensions at the end of last season.
It is clear Clement isn’t bowing down to sentiment, as letting those five go for nothing has saved the club over £80k-per-week in wages, a remarkable amount which could go towards much better options ahead of next season.
The likes of Jefte, Oscar Cortes and Connor Barron have already joined, bringing the average age of the squad down substantially, as the Belgian manager and Nils Koppen are clearly focusing on building the team full of young talents, supplemented by the odd experienced player.
Barron is a good example of the club recruiting smartly from a club in the same division. Not only does the youngster have experience of playing in the Premiership, but he is young enough to develop into a better player by joining Rangers.
Could Clement follow up this signing by making another move for a striker who shone in the Scottish top flight last term?
Rangers eye move for SPFL centre-forward
According to the Athletic, Rangers are showing interest in signing Motherwell sensation Theo Bair this summer, joining Celtic as keen admirers of the player.
The report also states that several teams in Germany are also emerging as possible destinations for the striker should he look to move away from Well.
Mohamed Diomande
22
Nordsjaelland
Hamza Igamane
21
AS FAR
Connor Barron
21
Aberdeen
Oscar Cortes
20
RC Lens
Jefte
20
Fluminense
Clinton Nsiala
20
AC Milan
In the past, the Light Blues, especially during Walter Smith’s two spells in charge, used to add in one or two players from the top flight along with a few marquee names.
This hasn’t happened under the likes of Michael Beale and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, as the Gers have gone down the route of splashing money and wages on players from elsewhere.
The signing of Barron from Aberdeen could be the catalyst for Clement to use his funds wisely and sign players who have knowledge of the Premiership, allowing them to settle in far quicker than those who come from abroad.
Theo Bair’s season in numbers for Motherwell
The 6 foot 3 machine joined the Steelmen from St Johnstone in the summer of 2023, yet the move looked like a bit of a gamble from their perspective.
In 31 matches for the Saints, Bair managed to score just one goal, adding three assists, hardly the goal ratio that Motherwell required to keep them away from the relegation zone.
The 24-year-old went on to prove the doubters wrong during his debut season for the club. Not only did he score 15 goals in all competitions, but the Canadian also chipped in with six assists too, showing that he offers more than just a predatory threat in front of goal.
His 21 goals and assists last season saw Bair rank first among his teammates in the Premiership, while he also ranked first for shots on target per game (0.8), fourth for key passes per game (0.9), fourth for big chances created (six) and sixth for successful dribbles per game (0.6), showing evidence that he can offer a well-rounded threat to the opposition goal in the final third.
His performances and stats may not be earth-shattering, but considering Motherwell finished the 2023/24 season in ninth place, scoring just 56 goals in total, Bair’s 15 goals accounted for 27% of their entire total in the top flight.
He saved some of his best performances for the big matches, including in Rangers' 2-1 defeat to the Steelmen in March.
Theo Bair's performance vs Rangers
Motherwell had lost their previous two league encounters with the Ibrox side prior to the third meeting of the 2023/24 season.
Rangers hadn’t lost domestically in 2024 coming into the clash and Clement had brought the Light Blues back into a title challenge that was fading just six months before.
Against a defence consisting of Connor Goldson and John Souttar, however, Bair was an absolute menace. He scored the opener after just nine minutes, slotting home a pass from striker partner Jack Vale, who exploited a mistake by Souttar.
Aside from the goal, Bair also made one key pass, succeeded with 50% of his dribble attempts and took three shots in total, clearly unaffected by the raucous Ibrox atmosphere that day.
Clement is desperate for a striker who not only scores regularly but can cause mayhem among opposition defences. Bair certainly fits the bill and the manager must surely have that performance in Glasgow on his mind as he weighs up whether to bring the 24-year-old to Ibrox this summer.
Bair currently in action at Copa America
His goalscoring feats last term were rewarded with a call-up to the Canadian side for the 2024 Copa América.
He made his debut way back in 2020, scoring on his debut against Barbados in a 4-1 win, yet he hadn’t made a full squad until the game against Trinidad and Tobago.
He failed to come off the bench in pre-tournament friendlies vs the Netherlands and France, while also watching the 2-0 defeat to Argentina in Canada’s opening match of the competition from the sidelines.
Despite that, it is clear Bair has a wonderful future ahead. The likes of Jonathan David and Cyle Larin are clearly the main contenders to fill the centre-forward slots, but the Motherwell gem can learn massively from the duo this summer.
He has just a year to run on his current contract, which means he will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement in January. Could this tempt Clement into making a concrete offer in the coming weeks to rest Motherwell’s resolve?
It could be yet another smart transfer decision by the 50-year-old tactician if he was able to sign the striker, adding some much-needed depth in that area, especially after losing Roofe and Fabio Silva at the end of last season.
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