Glasgow Rangers announced Philippe Clement as their new manager over the weekend as the search for Michael Beale’s successor finally ended.
The Belgian becomes just the 19th permanent Rangers manager, and he faces a stern challenge to return the Light Blues to the summit of Scottish football.
Since winning the Premiership crown in 2020/21, the Gers have failed to kick on and assert their dominance, becoming complacent in the process while Steven Gerrard failed to revamp the playing squad.
Beale underwent a much-needed rejuvenation at Ibrox this summer, yet it's clear that several of the summer signings are simply not good enough to be donning the blue jerseys and Clement will assess who fits his plans going forward and who will be moved on.
The transfer business conducted by the club since winning the league title two years ago has been rather underwhelming, with money spent on players who haven’t had the desired impact.
The same can be said with regard to outgoings too, as the Gers have shipped out players for minimal fees who have gone on to shine elsewhere.
Fashion Sakala departed in the summer for a fee of £3m and has currently scored four goals in 12 appearances for his new side, yet it was a sale that occurred under the leadership of Giovanni van Bronckhorst which looks like it was a big mistake. Step forward Cedric Itten.
How much did Rangers sign Cedric Itten for?
During the summer of 2020, Gerrard was looking to bolster his squad with the ambitions of finally landing the club their first league title in a decade. New arrivals included Kemar Roofe, Calvin Bassey and Ianis Hagi, yet it was the deal for Itten which looked the most interesting move, especially with his record in Switzerland.
The striker joined the Glasgow side for around £3m having netted 36 goals across just 63 appearances for FC St. Gallen and he looked like he could add some more firepower to Gerrard’s attacking options.
The former Liverpool captain lauded him, saying: "Cedric is a goal scorer who will add further strength and depth to our squad.
"The fact we have announced two attacking options in the same day highlights our intent to bolster our squad as we begin the campaign.
"I am pleased that a player of Cedric’s ability and potential has decided to join Rangers as he embarks in the next stage of his career."
What initially looked like a promising move for a player who already had two caps for Switzerland soon turned into a nightmare as he couldn’t hit the ground running during his spell in Glasgow.
What happened to Cedric Itten at Rangers?
Itten made 37 appearances across all competitions for the Light Blues during his maiden season, yet he could only find the back of the net on six occasions, a huge drop-off from the 20 he bagged the season before.
Of course, adjusting to a new league is often difficult and having secured a league winners medal, it looked as though he was ready to kick on and improve ahead of the 2021/22 season.
He wasn’t given the chance however, being sent out on loan to German side Greuther Fürth, where he netted twice – including one against Bayern Munich – yet he was recalled in January as Van Bronckhorst was short of attacking options.
Shots
2.6
1.6
Shots on target
1.4
0.7
Scoring frequency
89 minutes
100 minutes
Key passes
0.9
0.7
Goals
0.6
0.4
Stats via Sofascore
With the club fighting on three fronts, Itten was another option for the Dutchman to consider, but he failed to grasp this unlikely second chance, making just seven appearances during the second half of the campaign, scoring only two goals.
It was clear he wasn’t going to be in any long-term plans at the club, and he was swiftly sold to BSC Young Boys for just £1.5m in the summer of 2022, and this has turned out to be a big mistake considering his recent record.
What is Cedric Itten doing now?
The 26-year-old clearly enjoys playing in his homeland as he spurred his side onto claiming a stunning league and cup double last season, registering 35 goal contributions – 23 goals and 12 assists – across all competitions.
His impact during his debut term at Young Boys was excellent and he ranked second across the squad in the league for big chances created (seven), while also ranking second for goals and assists (23) and shots per game (2.6) as he forged a wonderful partnership alongside Wilfried Kanga.
He has carried this rich vein of form into the current season too, already finding the back of the net seven times in just 15 matches, and he will be aiming to secure another domestic double with the club while shining in the Champions League.
Since moving away from Rangers in 2022, Itten has scored 30 goals and grabbed 13 assists and these totals ensure he has outperformed every single Rangers player in the same time period.
James Tavernier has come closest to matching Itten’s incredible numbers, having scored 24 times while registering 12 assists since the start of the 2022/23 season, yet he is still seven goal contributions shy.
It speaks volumes of how poorly the club have done in the transfer window by letting Itten go for such a small transfer fee while watching him explode in Switzerland.
Indeed, according to Football Transfers, the Swiss frontman is now worth €6.6m (£5.7m) and this figure is slowly continuing to rise, especially following his recall to the national team recently.
What the Light Blues could do with a striker in this sort of form right now. While it didn’t work out for him during his time in Scotland, it proves that players aren’t given a proper chance to settle in and develop into the player they can be.
Clement will be hoping to give players a chance to impress after taking over from Beale and everyone will start from square one.
The onus is for the first team squad to put the previous few months behind them and start securing positive results every week which will narrow the gap to Celtic in the title hunt.
With a player who departed over a year ago outperforming every single member of the first team squad since, it's evident that Clement has a tough job on his hands to get them firing.
