NILS KOPPEN has outlined Rangers’ transfer strategy and believes the club must be ‘creative’ in securing players from across the globe with the right hunger and personality to represent the club.
The Light Blues’ squad rebuild continued apace during the summer as 11 players arrived to offset the departure of 15 members of Philippe Clement’s squad, which included experienced names such as Connor Goldson and John Lundstram.
There have been positive early signs in the opening months of the campaign and Koppen, who was appointed as Director of Football Recruitment last December, says it’s a continual process that involves a close relationship between himself and Clement.
Speaking to RangersTV in an in-depth sit-down about the summer transfer window, the club’s recruitment strategy, and planning for January, Koppen commented: “I think everyone is aware that the idea is to bring the average age of the squad down and getting more assets into the club.
“Some players left and ran out of contract; there were things before my time after I joined in January.
“They left and we had to try and replace them. 15 players left, which is something you don’t want every season; it’s not an ideal scenario.
“We were quite ambitious looking back on the window. We had a plan in place that we made together with the board and manager.
“It was a very ambitious plan and, although we perhaps didn’t do everything that we wanted, I always think you have to set the bar high and anticipate players leaving.
“It was a plan that we constantly adjusted during those months, but in the end being able to do 11 transfers in, including some experienced players such as [Nedim] Barjami and younger assets such as Jefte, the first steps are there.
“I’m quite happy with the squad and the transitions we made this summer.”
Rangers looked across the globe for talent during the window, securing the services of forward Hamza Igamane, 21, and full-back Jefte, 20, who arrived from Morocco and Brazil respectively.
The arrivals have also been supplemented by experience in the form of 30-year-old defender Robin Propper from the Eredivisie, while winger Vaclav Cerny arrived having starred in both the Netherlands and Germany.
Koppen believes it’s a delicate balancing act targeting players who are yet to enter their peak but also boast the sufficient personality to handle the demands of the club.
He added: “It’s important to look all over the globe where we can compete financially to get the best talents to the club.
“We also don’t want to lose the focus on Scotland and the local market. I think to look worldwide gives us more opportunity to sign these talents and everyone realises that the UK market for us is getting difficult financially.
“We need to be more creative, think outside of the box and look for profiles that are suitable for our league even if they’re from Brazil or Morocco.
“It’s a challenge but it’s not only Brazil and Morocco; we want to look worldwide to where we think we can have success.
“It’s a big advantage to get that desire into the dressing room and hunger to take the next steps.
“It’s a good thing to have that burning desire, but also we’re looking for winners and players who can raise the standards on and off the pitch.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re 18 or 25-years-old – it’s a key thing to have in a place like this.
“It’s something that we try to look at, but it’s also the most difficult thing to judge as a recruiter or a scout.
“You need to watch them in several circumstances, including during top games and more easy games.
“We need to fly all over the world to meet them in-person and do a lot of Zoom calls where the manager is involved.
“In a way we need to screen their personality, but it’s still the most difficult thing to judge because walking out at Ibrox with that crowd is something that is difficult to see and predict how they’re going to react.
“I think it’s something that we put a lot of attention on.”
RangersTV subscribers can hear more from Nils Koppen with the full interview available now!