Clement could sign a replacement for Barisic who was “really good” against Rangers

Glasgow Rangers are facing a summer of change under Philippe Clement, with the Belgian looking to build a squad full of his transfer targets at Ibrox.

The Belgian has inherited a side from Michael Beale that includes a number of players who are not at the level required to be long-term solutions for the Light Blues.

The fame of the former manager of Club Brugge, as he somehow managed to drag this team into the race for the Premiership title, when he won the League Cup and also reached the final of the Scottish Cup, which proves how great he is.

This summer is an excellent opportunity for the 50-year-old to be sent to the deadwood while signing a number of targets who could immediately improve the starting XI.

Could the Light Blues be turning to a player who has shone against the Old Firm recently as one of their future transfers? The current Scottish football pundit certainly thinks so.

Rangers players said they flocked to the defender

It's no secret that the left back position is Clement's biggest problem. Not only is Borna Barisic out of contract at the end of the season and looks set to leave Glasgow, but Ridvan Yilmaz is injury-prone and cannot be trusted to stay fit for the rest of the season.

This will see the club enter the market for at least one left-back this summer, possibly two, depending on Clement's available budget.

Pundit Tam McManus, a former Hibs and Dundee striker amongst others, has been coming up with the best left-back for Dundee in recent weeks since joining Burnley on loan – Owen Dodgson.

“I like the defender, Dodgson,” said McManus when he left PLZ Soccer about the defender. “He was very good. I think Celtic and Rangers should look at him.

“The two games I saw him, against Celtic and Rangers, I thought he was really good.”

Could he be a viable option for the Rangers? Even if it was just to add some much-needed depth to the team over the summer.

Owen Dodgson's statistics for Dundee

The youngster has moved north on a six-month loan at the Dens Park club, making 13 appearances so far.

In his 12 Premiership appearances, the 21-year-old has shown plenty of promise. Not only does he show a great determination to get on the ball, evidenced by an average of 43.7 touches per game, but he has also won 3.3 duels per game – a success rate of 55% – and created two big chances, impressing a range of performance metrics.

It was his performances against Rangers and Celtic in the past few weeks that saw people sit up and take notice, showing his skills while playing against two of the best teams in the country.

Against the Light Blues, Dodgson won six of the seven contests he faced, made four crosses and was not conceded once. A few weeks later, when Celtic came to town, the Englishman gave an excellent display that included five important passes, won three of five duels, and created two big chances in a 2-1 defeat.

This clearly shows that the player was not at all intimidated by facing high-class attackers, which could be useful if the Gers are keeping a close eye on him.

There is no reason why he can't replace Barisic, especially given how poor the Croatian has been this season as he completes six years with the club.

Borna Barisic's stats for Rangers this season

The left-back has been a fixture at Ibrox since arriving through the club's doors in the summer of 2018, becoming one of Steven Gerrard's first signings in the process.

Nearly six years later, he has amassed 234 appearances for the Light Blues, winning every domestic award on offer and helping the club reach the 2022 Europa League final.

However, since then his performance has declined, and it is clear that the club needs to let him go at the end of the season to add momentum to the department.

At the time of writing, the 31-year-old has made 33 appearances for the Gers this season, most of which have come in the first half of the season.

Indeed, Barisic has only started five Premiership games since the start of the year, as Yilmaz has come on as Clement's first choice.

The reason why he was still getting game time is because of the injury Yilmaz got while playing abroad, otherwise he would have spent a lot of time sitting on the bench.

Among his teammates this season, the Croatian ranks 11th in goals and assists (three) in the Premiership, while he ranks 17th in chances created (one), ninth in passing accuracy per game (28.6) and 19th. effective dribbles per game (0.3), which shows that even when he plays, his stats are often poor.

The defender currently earns £21k a week and getting that kind of salary on the books in the summer will give Clement more flexibility in the transfer window, no doubt about that.

Dodgson will return to Burnley, his parents' club, when his loan spell at Dundee ends, but he has impressed in the past five months.

He is under contract with the Turf Moor side until 2025, suggesting he could be available for a bargain, that is, if Burnley are open to selling him.

Although nothing is concrete, he would certainly be a good option to have with Clement next season. Dodgson is yet to reach his peak and could even make Gers a profit in the future, that is his greatest strength.

The summer can be an exciting time for the Ibrox faithful.