Attention can start to turn towards the start of the 2024/25 campaign for Glasgow Rangers after the Scottish Premiership fixtures were released.
The Light Blues travel away from Ibrox to take on Hearts on the opening day of the season on the third of August and that means that the club have just over a month to get any business they want done before the first match.
Of course, Nils Koppen and Philippe Clement would still have almost a month left after that before the summer transfer window slams shut, but they may want as many signings in as possible before the first game to help them settle into the squad and the tactics.
Hearts
(A)
Motherwell
(H)
Ross County
(H)
Celtic
(A)
Dundee United
(A)
Jefte, Oscar Cortes, Liam Kelly, Connor Barron, and Clinton Nsiala have already been snapped up to bolster the Belgian manager's squad after the Gers only won one trophy – the League Cup – during the 2023/24 campaign.
Rangers are now in the market for experience after landing a number of talented young players – with Cortes, Barron, Nsiala, and Jefte all being 21 or younger.
Rangers expected to sign experienced star
According to RangersReview journalist Jonny McFarlane, Koppen is expected to seal a deal to sign Norwich City central midfielder Kenny McLean this summer.
Speaking on the outlet's YouTube channel on Monday, the reporter claimed that a move for the Scotland international is "in the post" and that a transfer is moving along "nicely".
He added that the 32-year-old maestro is a player "we'll expect to see" at Ibrox for the 2024/25 campaign, with the Light Blues seemingly closing in on a swoop for the Canaries ace.
This comes after Football Insider had reported that the two clubs entered into preliminary negotiations at the end of last month to reach an agreement for the ex-Aberdeen man.
That report also stated that the Scottish midfielder is expected to cost a fee within the region of £1m, which comes one year after the Yellows reportedly rejected an offer of £4m from Leeds United.
Interestingly, Football Insider added that Rangers could offer McLean the captaincy of the club immediately if James Tavernier moves on to Saudi Arabia before the end of the window.
The left-footed ace is not the Norwich club captain but donned the armband for the majority of last season in the absence of Grant Hanley under David Wagner.
If Koppen and Clement do, as seemingly expected, sign the Canaries star then he could form an exciting pairing with Mohammed Diomande in the middle of the park.
Mohammed Diomande's attacking potential
The impressive youngster spent the second half of last season on loan from FC Nordsjælland, where he had been managed by McLean's new boss Johannes Hoff Thorup, and caught the eye with his displays in midfield before signing a permanent deal.
In the first half of the campaign, Diomande had produced zero goals, three assists, and 1.1 key passes per game across 13 appearances in the Superliga for the Danish side.
The 22-year-old dynamo then arrived at Ibrox and elevated his attacking game to another level with his fantastic performances in the Premiership.
Appearances
13
Sofascore rating
7.05
Goals
2
Key passes per game
1.5
Assists
0
Ground duel success rate
53%
Aerial duel success rate
40%
As you can see in the table above, the left-footed ace added a goal threat to his arsenal and provided 0.4 more key passes per game than he did in the Superliga.
However, his work out of possession let him down slightly as opposition players were able to dominate him in physical duels in the air, and he only won slightly more than 50% of his battles on the ground.
The Ivory Coast international, therefore, is not a monster when it comes to winning duels and battling against Premiership midfielders, which suggests that Rangers should look to pair him with a midfielder who can offer more of a physical presence next to him.
Why Rangers should sign Kenny McLean
This is why McLean could be a fantastic addition to Clement's squad to bolster the manager's options in the middle of the park as he has the physicality and energy to be the perfect foil for him.
The £25k-per-week Norwich star was described as a "monster" at winning the ball back by the aforementioned McFarlane and that is backed up by his statistics last season.
His performances in the English Championship proved that he has the energy, defensive awareness, and tenacity to consistently break opposition attacks from a midfield position.
Appearances
46
13
Tackles per game
2.0
1.5
Interceptions per game
1.2
0.8
Ball recoveries per game
6.0
4.8
Ground duel success rate
62%
53%
Aerial duel success rate
50%
40%
As you can see in the table above, McLean provided far more for his team out of possession than Diomande did for Rangers, including in physical duels.
This suggests that the Scottish battler would be the perfect partner for the Ivorian star as his sublime defensive work could allow the 22-year-old to push further forward to weave his magic at the top end of the pitch.
The Norwich ace is not limited to just being good off the ball, however, as he ranked within the top 19% of Championship midfielders for progressive passes (6.41) per 90, which shows that the Gers target is a forward-thinking midfielder who constantly looks to find his teammates in advanced positions.
McLean could also be a fantastic signing due to his experience, particularly in the league, as he made over 250 appearances in the Premiership earlier in his career and has racked up over 200 outings for the Yellows since 2018.
This suggests that he would be able to make an immediate impact on the pitch for the Light Blues as he has been there and done it in the Scottish top-flight and in England over the course of a number of years.
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Therefore, the 32-year-old ace could be a fantastic option for the club to bring in as an experienced and defensively impressive partner for Diomande.