In order to improve the age distribution and add more talent to his Rangers team, Philippe Clement will need to make some changes in the summer.
The squad’s age was immediately reduced by the three new players that joined in January because they are all younger and still in the early stages of their careers.
Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen have already begun the process of locating and corresponding with fresh targets, including one from the Premier League, as the transfer window approaches.
Rangers linked with West Ham’s Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson of West Ham was reportedly being considered during the winter transfer window, but his contract is about to expire.
According to The Athletic, the adaptable six-foot-tall defender has turned down two contracts in the past two years, one for four years and the other for six and a half.
The former England Under-21 international was Dujon Sterling’s junior teammate and has made 22 appearances this season.
According to the report, Rangers are hoping to sign Ben Johnson before Leeds United and Crystal Palace and have already met with his representatives.
Similar characteristics can be found in the agreement that Rangers signed on a Bosman in the summer of 2023, following Sterling’s rejection of a contract offer from Chelsea and other Premier League teams.
Johnston is obviously a talented player—he even has a Europa Conference League winner’s trophy in his back pocket—but does the Rangers really need him?
Why Johnson would be a waste of money for Rangers
Rangers captain and top goalscorer is a right-back.
James Tavernier is also one of our most resilient players.
There is just one guy who gets game time at right-back, as Dujon Sterling has discovered.
He would never have imagined himself starting at left-back in front of a Croatian international, in defensive midfield against Benfica and in an Old Firm rivalry, or on the right side of a forward three.
Ben Johnson can only cover both full-back positions and lacks this degree of versatility.
It would be an odd choice even if Sterling started at right-back and Adam Devine provided cover.
There would be four senior right-backs if the Rangers were to pull off another coup and sign Johnson.
Since everything is already unbalanced, the Rangers don’t need any more highly compensated players to be sitting on the bench or in the stands.
The only other possibility is that Sterling’s role has changed as a result of his appearances elsewhere and that he is no longer seen as a right-back.
The Rangers team definitely need to be more youthful and talented, but it also needs to be more efficient and allow room for academy players to develop.
It just doesn’t make sense to sign players like Johnson at a position we don’t need to fill.
