Philippe Clement admits it will be a “big challenge” to revamp Rangers’ squad in time for next season’s Champions League qualifying games and their bid to overturn Celtic’s domestic dominance.
The Belgian had already begun his rebuild by signing Brazilian left-back Jefte on a four-year contract from Fluminense, 24 hours before Celtic completed the league and cup double by beating their city rivals 1-0 in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday.
“Not a long time ago — that’s the reality,” coach Clement said. “You have Champions League qualifying games in August, and also five league games, so nine games in four weeks.
“We need to rebuild the squad. We have several players without contracts who are going to leave the building, so we need to replace them without any money coming in.
“We need to be really creative with our transfers and do smart things. It’s going to be a big challenge, but we’ve already been busy with it for months within the club.”
Clement admitted that “talented” 20-year-old Jefte and other additions “will also need time to adapt”.
“How long? That’s always hard to predict,” he added. “Some players adapt very quickly, some players need more time, but we are working hard to obtain more quality in the construction.”
