Glasgow Rangers confirmed on Tuesday morning that Nils Koppen has taken on the role of technical director after spending the year up to that point as the head of recruitment at Ibrox.
The Belgian recruitment chief, who arrived at the start of the January transfer window, has been working with Philippe Clement to implement a new transfer strategy this year.
It was clear that his aim in the summer was to reduce the average age of the playing squad to add more young players with the potential to soar in value.
Along with Clement, Koppen allowed the likes of Jon McLaughlin, John Lundstram, Borna Barisic, Kemar Roofe, Connor Goldson, and Ryan Jack to move on permanently.
The average age of the 13 players to move on from Ibrox in the summer was 27.9. Meanwhile, the average age of the ten players who came through the door to bolster the squad was 24.1, which shows that the average age of the group was lowered.
Rangers will now hope that the young talents they brought in can thrive and soar in value to then be sold on for a profit in the future, following in the footsteps of players like Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo.
Rangers' Joe Aribo masterclass
In the summer of 2019, the Scottish giants decided to swoop for Aribo after his contract with English League One side Charlton Athletic expired at the end of the 2018/19 campaign.
Rangers reportedly had to pay a fee of just £300k in compensation, due to him being 22, and that turned out to be a bargain for the Light Blues.
In three seasons at Ibrox, the Nigeria international racked up 26 goals and 25 assists in 149 appearances in all competitions, playing out wide and through the middle as an attacking midfielder under Steven Gerrard and Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
His best moment in a Rangers shirt, arguably, came in the highlights above. Aribo put his side 1-0 up in the Europa League final, only for the team to go on to lose on penalties against Eintracht Frankfurt.
That was at the end of the 2021/22 campaign and the Nigerian dynamo also caught the eye with his performances in the Scottish Premiership that season.
Appearances
34
Goals
8
Big chances created
9
Assists
5
Key passes per game
1.8
As you can see in the table above, Aribo provided a regular threat as both a scorer and a creator from a midfield or wide position for van Bronckhorst that season.
His form that term attracted interest from down south and Southampton swooped in to secure a £10m deal for the former League One starlet in the summer of 2022.
Koppen could now repeat that masterclass, as Rangers made a huge profit on Aribo, by swooping to sign another young whiz from the third tier of English football.
Rangers' interest in League One wizard
Journalist Graeme Bailey, reporting for The Boot Room, recently claimed that the Light Blues are one of the teams interested in signing Peterborough United forward Kwame Poku.
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The reporter revealed that Premier League sides Southampton and Ipswich Town are both keeping tabs on the 23-year-old winger’s performances this season, whilst Championship outfit Burnley and Rangers are also keen on him.
It was added that the Gers have sent scouts to watch the Ghana international in action in League One this season, which suggests that they are collecting information on him ahead of a possible move in the upcoming January transfer window.
His current contract with Peterborough is due to expire at the end of the 2024/25 campaign and this means that his club could be forced to consider a sale in January, as they otherwise run the risk of losing him on a free transfer next summer.
Due to being based in Scotland, Rangers have an advantage over Burnley, Southampton, and Ipswich as they are able to negotiate a pre-contract deal with Poku from January onwards, whilst teams in England have to wait until the end of the season.
Whether it happens in January or next summer, Koppen must look to sign the 23-year-old star for Clement as he has the potential to be an excellent addition to the squad.
Why Rangers should sign Kwame Poku
Rangers hit the jackpot when they signed Aribo from League One and developed him into a Premiership and Europa League star during his time at Ibrox.
Poku’s form in the third tier for Peterborough so far this season suggests that the potential is there for him to come in and follow in Aribo’s footsteps in Glasgow.
In the former Rangers star’s last campaign in League One, the Nigerian whiz scored ten goals and provided five assists in 39 appearances for Charlton.
After just 15 matches in the division this season, Poku has already matched that tally of ten goals and five assists for the Posh, in what has been an outstanding start to the year, which suggests that he may have even more potential than Aribo – whose return he looks certain to beat.
The left-footed right winger, who was described as “unplayable” by manager Darren Ferguson, has been on fire in League One and has showcased his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals for his side.
Appearances
15
9
Goals
10
4
Big chances missed
1
1
Big chances created
5
2
Assists
5
1
Dribbles completed per game
2.0
1.2
As you can see in the table above, Poku has outperformed Clement’s current right-sided attacker Vaclav Cerny, who is set to return to Wolfsburg at the end of his loan next summer.
The best play for Rangers and Koppen could, therefore, be to agree a pre-contract deal with the Peterborough magician in January for him to then arrive ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, to naturally replace the Czechia international upon the end of his spell at Ibrox.
His statistics suggest that he could come in as an upgrade on Cerny and potentially develop into the club’s next Aribo, as a young star from League One who could soar in value in the future.
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