There is a common theme evident when you look at all of the inward business that Glasgow Rangers have completed so far during the summer transfer window.
All of their signings to date are aged 21 or younger as the club seemingly look to restock the squad with promising talents who have the potential to increase in value over the years to come.
Oscar Cortes, Jefte, Clinton Nsiala, and Connor Barron have all been brought in to add freshness to the group, whilst the Ibrox giants are also reportedly in talks to sign Yusuf Kabadayi (20) from Bayern Munich and Hamza Igamane (21) from FAR Rabat to improve their attacking options.
These deals come after the Light Blues offloaded a number of experienced operators from the squad at the end of last month, when the latest round of contracts expired.
Jon McLaughlin, Ryan Jack, Kemar Roofe, John Lundstram, and Borna Barisic were all released upon the expiry of their contracts earlier this summer, and all of them are above the age of 29.
A balance must now be struck between having young talents and still having senior professionals who can be relied upon and used as mentors for the younger crop of players.
Rangers open talks to sign experienced star
With this in mind, it makes sense that Rangers are now reportedly eyeing up a deal to sign a 32-year-old midfielder to join their ranks this summer.
According to Football Insider, the Scottish giants have made contact with Norwich City to pursue a move for Scotland international Kenny McLean.
The report claims that the Light Blues have opened preliminary talks with the Canaries as they look to bring the left-footed maestro to Ibrox ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
It states that the club are wanting to add an experienced midfielder to the squad, in the mould of ex-Gers star Steven Davis, to compete alongside the younger options in Nicolas Raskin, Mohammed Diomande, and Barron.
Football Insider adds, though, that his salary of over £30k-per-week could prove to be a stumbling block in negotiations as that is considered 'high' by Rangers' standards.
The report does not, however, reveal how much the Championship side are set to demand for the 32-year-old ace, as he is under contract and the Light Blues would need to splash out a fee on the experienced gem.
Johannes Hoff Thorup was recently appointed as their new head coach and Rangers may have to wait until he has had a chance to assess his squad before they have a chance to sign the Scottish dynamo.
If Nils Koppen and Philippe Clement can get a deal over the line for McLean, though, then he could come in as a perfect replacement for Jack in the middle of the park.
Ryan Jack's struggles at Rangers
The 32-year-old midfielder provided an experienced presence on and off the pitch for the Gers but the issue was that he was rarely available to play throughout his time at Ibrox.
In his seven seasons in Glasgow, Jack only had one year – the 2022/23 campaign – where he missed fewer than ten matches for the club through injury, and he was absent for 24 or more games in three of those years.
The Scotland international was on the sidelines for 14 clashes last season and ended the term with just 11 appearances to his name in the Scottish Premiership.
In those 11 outings, Jack did not do enough to suggest to Clement that he deserved more game time as the former Aberdeen man struggled badly out of possession.
Appearances
11
Interceptions per game
0.0
Tackles won per game
0.2
Ball recoveries per game
3.0
Duel success rate
46%
As you can see in the table above, the right-footed metronome offered very little off the ball to help his team out from a defensive perspective in games.
He was dominated by opposition players in physical duels, losing the majority of his battles, and astonishingly only made two tackles and interceptions combined in 11 matches.
McLean could now come in to provide an experienced player for the young midfielders to look up to whilst providing far more quality and reliability on the pitch for the Belgian head coach, making him a perfect replacement for Jack.
Why Rangers should Kenny McLean
The Gers should snap up the Scotland international as he fits the bill in terms of what they are looking for from an experienced and quality midfielder.
Firstly, McLean has only missed five games through injury since the start of the 2019/20 season and he started all 46 of Norwich's regular season matches last term.
This suggests that the left-footed whiz would provide a level of reliability that Jack did not offer when it came to being available week-in-week-out.
The Canaries star is also a vastly experienced talent with over 250 appearances in the Premiership, over 60 games in the Premier League, and over 100 matches in the Championship throughout his career, which suggests that he could use his experience to help the younger players in his position as he has been there and done it many times before.
Appearances
11
46
Tackles per game
0.2
2.0
Interceptions per game
0.0
1.2
Ball recoveries per game
3.0
6.0
Duel success rate
46%
59%
As you can see in the table above, McLean has the quality out of possession to offer far more to Rangers than Jack did off the ball last season, with his dominant success rate in duels and ability to make tackles, interceptions, and recoveries far more regularly.
In possession, the Norwich star also racked up five assists, seven 'big chances' created, and 0.7 key passes per game in the Championship, whereas the Gers man managed zero assists, two 'big chances' created, and 0.6 key passes per match.
These statistics indicate that the left-footed dynamo could also provide more creativity in possession with his ability to create high-quality chances for his teammates.
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Therefore, McLean could come in as the perfect replacement for Jack due to his experience, availability, and quality, and that is why Clement must push to get a deal done for him this summer.
