Glasgow Rangers begin 2024 occupying second place in the Scottish Premiership table and Philippe Clement will be aiming to make this year a much better one than 2023, that’s for sure.
The first ten months of last year were nothing to shout home about, yet the Belgian manager took over and changed the fortunes of the club in the space of just two and a half months in what has been an incredible turnaround.
A League Cup trophy has already been added to the trophy cabinet and, despite a recent 2-1 defeat to Celtic, the mood is high heading into the winter break.
The onus on the 49-year-old coach will now be to ship out some deadwood this month along with signing a couple of new players in order to bolster his squad.
With this in mind, the Ibrox side have been linked with a move for a South American midfielder who was once teammates with former Ibrox cult figure Alfredo Morelos…
Rangers transfer news – Steven Alzate
The previous few weeks have been productive, to say the least, but Clement struggled with injuries to several central midfielders, such as John Lundstram, Ryan Jack, Jose Cifuentes, and Nico Raskin.
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While they are all either totally recovered or close to returning to the senior side, the crisis means that the manager must bring in another midfielder or two during the transfer window.
According to Belgian outlet DH Les Sports (via the Scottish Sun), the Gers are monitoring the situation of midfielder Steven Alzate, who has only a few months left on his contract at Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion.
Brighton are looking to sell him during the January transfer window in order to secure themselves some sort of transfer fee, rather than see him walk free in the summer.
The Colombian has spent the previous 18 months on loan at Standard Liege. Although he is currently suffering from an ankle injury, he could be injury-free once Rangers return to action in a couple of weeks.
The Light Blues have a few midfielders out of contract themselves at the end of the season – most notably Lundstram and Jack – and this is a position which Clement will be desperate to bolster.
The former Sheffield United enforcer will likely secure an extension to his deal, but this should be the final season for Jack at the Glasgow side, especially with his recurring injury niggles.
Alzate could be a dream replacement for the Scot, who has been a stalwart for the Gers since arriving in 2017.
Ryan Jack’s statistics at Rangers
The former Aberdeen gem cost Rangers nothing when he arrived during the summer of 2017 on a free transfer after his contract at the Dons expired, and it looked as though it could be a solid piece of business by the club.
Jack soon became a mainstay in the first team and, despite failing to win a trophy during his first three seasons at Ibrox, progress was shown.
Injury problems were his kryptonite, however, and prior to the title-winning 2020/21 campaign, Jack missed 41 matches due to various injuries and this would become a recurring theme during his spell in Glasgow.
He managed to play 19 times as the club won their first Premiership crown for a decade, chipping in with two vital goals, yet he featured just 22 times in all competitions the following season as he continued to pick up knocks on a regular basis.
Despite playing only eight times in the league this term, Jack has shown glimmers of his abilities as he currently has an 87% pass success rate along with losing possession just 4.9 times per game, and he is a useful option for Clement to call upon, when fit, that is.
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2
36
2
22
1
24
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39
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46
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21
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Paying a wage for someone who could miss 50% or more of the season is a big gamble to take and the former Club Brugge manager should make the call to let him leave for free this summer.
Steven Alzate could replace Ryan Jack
The 25-year-old was picked up by Brighton in the same summer as Rangers signed Jack, yet it took him a couple of seasons to make his way into the senior side.
A decent loan spell at Swindon Town helped his cause and he went on to play 19 times in the Premier League during 2019/20.
Journalist Josh Bunting heaped praise on him during that season, saying: “Steven Alzate superb again for Brighton, he is so creative, brings so much energy into the game.”
This was as good as it got for Alzate on the south coast, adding just another 24 top-flight appearances to his CV before sealing another temporary switch away from the Amex, this time to Belgium.
Brighton’s loss has been Standard Liege’s gain as the English-born gem has shone in the Belgian top flight over the previous 18 months.
Last term, the midfielder ranked fifth among the squad for goals and assists in the top flight (eight), while also ranking fourth for big chances created (five), first for accurate passes per game (42), and second for tackles per game (2.4).
These statistics indicate that he would be an ideal replacement for Jack, especially as he clearly has the required passing and defensive abilities to succeed at Rangers.
Meanwhile, the talented gem could also offer a threat going forward with his ability to create big opportunities for his teammates in the final third.
Alzate has played just 11 times in the league this term, yet has already contributed one goal and two assists, proving that he can chip in with the odd goal contribution.
Jack’s spell at Rangers will go down as a major what-if. Although he has featured 204 times for the club, the reality is, it could have been so much more if not for the continuous stream of injuries.
Indeed, the Scot has missed a grand total of 118 matches through a succession of injuries since 2017 and the older he gets, the longer it will take for him to recover from any injury he suffers.
This represents an ideal chance for the Gers to bring in a player such as Alzate, who has shown his abilities both defensively and in an attacking sense during his spells with Brighton and Standard Liege in recent years.