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Philippe Clement has enjoyed a dream start at Glasgow Rangers, but he must not get carried away just yet and keep his players grounded.
The Ibrox side have an excellent chance of winning their first trophy since May 2022 when they face Aberdeen in the League Cup final next month, while progress in Europe looks attainable.
With the January transfer window fast approaching, the Belgian may be able to delve into the market and sign a couple of players who could freshen up the squad while ditching a few who don’t seem to have a future at the club.
Ben Davies is a key example, and could he find himself moving away from Ibrox in the coming months?
Ben Davies’ season in numbers
The Englishman has been a regular in the Europa League, starting all four matches so far, yet he ranks 15th across the squad for interceptions per game (0.3) and seventh for possession lost per game (11.5), which suggests he hasn’t quite been at the races.
Domestically, Davies has started only four times in the Premiership so far, with the Gers conceding four goals across those matches.
For large spells during the summer, it appeared as though the former Liverpool centre-back was ready to leave the club, with Stoke City rumoured to be eyeing a swoop for him.
Nothing materialised, however, and he remains in Glasgow, until January at least. Clement must surely utilise the services of Leon Balogun on a more regular basis, especially judging by his displays under the Belgian.
Leon Balogun has impressed recently
While the decision to re-sign Balogun during the summer wasn’t exactly met with choruses of applause by the Ibrox faithful, his spell in Scotland between 2020 and 2022 was impressive.
Under the former QPR boss, however, he made just two appearances, in games that the Light Blues both won and it seemed as though his backup stature was working.
Under the 49-year-old, however, Balogun has started three of his first seven matches and performed admirably, especially against Livingston on the weekend.
The 35-year-old was a titan at the heart of the defence alongside Connor Goldson as he won all four of his ground duels along with nine out of his 11 aerial duels – working out as 86% of his total duels won – and the Livi forwards just couldn’t find a way past him.
The Nigerian wasn’t even dribbled past during the tie and made three interceptions, two tackles and four clearances in what was a commanding performance at a ground in which the club have occasionally struggled on in the past.
While not a long-term option for Clement, Balogun’s class has shone through over the last month or so and it’s clear that the club have been better defensively in the games that he has started.
Rangers have yet to concede a goal from open play across Balogun’s five appearances thus far and this could make Clement’s decision on who should partner Goldson at the back slightly easier.
Davies has sparkled in spells, yet his lack of consistency could lead to him being moved on in the foreseeable future.
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