Frustrated Philippe Clement confessed he’s been faced with an agonising decision after being forced to cut new Rangers recruit Oscar Cortes from his Euro squad.
The Colombian kid arrived on loan from Lens before the transfer window shut on Thursday and well before last night’s deadline for Gers to register new signings ahead of their Europa League last 16 tie. But with Clement only able to make three changes to the UEFA line-up originally picked by his predecessor Michael Beale, it’s left the Belgian boss with a painful choice. The Ibrox gaffer has decided to recall Ridvan Yilmaz after the Turkish international’s impressive return to form, while new boys Fabio Silva and Mohamed Diomande have also been added.
But that’s left no space for Cortes, with Leon Balogun and Kieran Dowell also missing out. Coming off the list originally submitted by Beale is Sam Lammers – now back on loan at Utrecht – and Jose Cifuentes, who is close to sealing a loan move to Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro.
But a pained Clement confessed it was a horrible experience. He said: “If you look at finding a balance, then Ridvan needs to be in. You need two full-backs, that was a problem in the first round. If there was a problem with Borna Barisic we didn’t have any left-back.
“That was a difficult point on that European list that I have submitted today. Sam Lammers is out, so Fabio Silva is in. That’s logical. Cifu is probably out so Diomande comes in instead of him.
“Ridvan will come on the list so that means Leon Balogun, Kieran Dowell and Cortes cannot be on the list. That hurts me. We have been puzzling for hours with the staff these past few days and you always come to the same conclusions. You cannot keep the balance unless you make these changes.”
Clement clearly wasn’t impressed by the choices Beale made as he aimed a thinly-veiled swipe at the Londoner. He said: “I had discussions with players about that this afternoon because I am not happy with the rule.
“I was not totally aligned with how the European list started at the beginning of the season. It was also what it is. I can only make three changes. That will create a few players I wanted on the list who cannot be. That’s a reality.”
Cortes won’t feature when Gers return to European action in March.
But he is in line to make his Ibrox bow when the Light Blues host Livingston at Ibrox today.
Asked of the Colombian and fellow new arrival Diomande could feature against Davie Martindale’s side, Clement said: “On paper yes. We need to look at what they’ve done.
“Oscar played 88 minutes on January 27 and was training all the time so he is fitter. Dio played his last game in November and had a winter break. With Dio we will first work a bit to bring him in good conditions on the pitch. We know everyone has big expectations of new players so we need to put them on the pitch when they are ready.
“Oscar is somebody with a lot of talent. He’s still young, he had his first experience in Europe with Lens. It wasn’t the easiest one. I know Lens, there’s a lot of competition there and a different playing style to what he was used to.
“He’s more a winger and they play a system without wingers so for a new player it’s not an easy thing to cope with to play in a different position and do things you’re not used to doing. He’s somebody with a lot of quality with a big future if he makes good steps and he learns the right things.”
Clement is delighted with his three new arrivals – and he’s been just as pleased to see the Ibrox board boot out bids this week for Jack Butland and Ridvan Yilmaz.
He said: “Every body in the club, including the board, have worked really hard and been really creative to bring talented players into the building without spending much money now.
“That’s because most of the budget was spent in the summer. That’s the reality. We knew that so we all had to be creative together.
“Yes it’s true that the club also had to be strong when there were offers for players for good numbers. But you can’t on one side be ambitious and on the other sell players in January and not have at least the same quality coming in.
“It’s another situation in the summer when you have more time to work with and you can prepare for the interest that is coming in a market that is much longer. In January it’s much more difficult.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
