Philippe Clement will be keen on improving his Glasgow Rangers during the summer transfer window, with the hopes of building a team that can dominate domestically over the coming years.
If his January signings are anything to go by, then the future certainly looks bright under the Belgian, as it appears he prefers to sign young talents who are ready to make a mark at a club like Rangers rather than signing established professionals on a big wage.
This could see the Light Blues finally establish a player trading programme which will see them generate significant profits by buying low and selling high.
Mohamed Diomande will join the Gers on a permanent basis at the end of the season for a transfer fee in the region of £4.3m and there is no doubt he will prove to be a massive hit over the next few years.
Clement will be hoping he can secure a major return on his investment should Diomande eventually move on from Rangers. Judging by his recent displays, he won’t be in Scotland for too long, that’s for sure.
The Belgian manager signed Fabio Silva on loan during the winter window. While he won’t be around next season, it still proves that his reputation can attract players of his type of quality, and he has shone in Scotland.
Fabio Silva’s statistics for Rangers
Having scored just once for Wolverhampton Wanderers during the first half of the season, it was clear another temporary move would be best for the Portuguese striker during the remaining few months of 2023/24.
As December came to a close, it was announced Rangers had secured his services on loan until May, as Silva would add something extra to the club’s attacking options.
| Fabio Silva’s Premiership stats for Rangers | |
|---|---|
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Successful dribbles per game | 0.4 |
| Key passes per game | 0.6 |
| Big chances missed | 4 |
| Via Sofascore | |
So far, the 21-year-old has netted four goals in 15 appearances. With four big chances missed in the Premiership, his goal tally should be higher than what it is, but Silva has been a breath of fresh air in the starting XI recently.
Silva averages two shots per game in the top flight, along with averaging 0.6 key passes per game, succeeding with 0.4 successful dribbles per game and winning 2.8 total duels per game.
The youngster has either been deployed as a centre-forward or out wide on the left flank, and it is arguably the latter position in which he has impressed the most.
Against Benfica during the Europa League last 16, second leg, Silva attempted six dribbles attempts during his spell out wide, succeeding with three, while even making one key pass and taking 50 touches, indicating that he was willing to get on the ball as often as possible in order to create chances.
The on-loan dynamo could be a crucial player during the final few weeks of the season for the Light Blues, especially if he continues adding to his goal tally.
Fabio Silva’s market value at Rangers
At the time of writing, Silva is currently valued at €12.8m (£10.9m) according to Football Transfers, ranking as the most valuable player in the current Gers squad.
If he continues his recent form, this value may even increase by the time he returns to the Old Gold in the summer, and it could give him the confidence to kickstart his career at Molineux.
While he may be the highest-valued player at the Light Blues currently, judging by inflation, a player sold by Alex McLeish in 2002 is valued much higher if judged by inflation – Tore Andre Flo.
How much Rangers signed Tore Andre Flo for
Having won five out of the six available domestic trophies available to him during his first two seasons, Dick Advocaat was struggling during the opening few months of the 2000/01 campaign.
Martin O’Neil had rejuvenated Celtic as they were about to embark on a treble-winning season, while it was clear the Dutchman needed to make another signing or two.
In November of that year, the former PSV Eindhoven manager splashed out a club record £12m fee to sign Flo from Chelsea with the hope that he could add a spark to the Gers side.
Tore Andre Flo’s Rangers statistics
The Norwegian instantly endeared himself to the supporters by scoring on his debut against Celtic in a 5-1 victory as it looked like he could be a wonderful addition to the squad.
Throughout the rest of the season, Flo added another 12 goals before enjoying a productive 2001/02 campaign.
Across 46 matches, Flo found the back of the net on 25 occasions as the Light Blues won the domestic cup double. The former Chelsea star perhaps wasn’t the most consistent of players, but he knew where the back of the net was.
Despite his form the season prior, McLeish was under pressure to sell players due to the club’s deteriorating financial situation. With Flo one of his prized assets, it was natural that he would be the first to be sold
How much Tore Andre Flo is worth in 2024 money
The Norwegian striker was sold to Sunderland for a fee of £9.9m in August 2002 in order to help their financial situation.
Totally Money have taken the 100 most expensive transfers of all time across each season since 1992 in Europe’s top five leagues. Armed with plenty of historical financial data they have calculated what footballers of yesteryear would be worth in the present day after taking into account the remarkable rate of inflation.
In 2024, money, however – with Totally Money having adjusted for inflation over the years – Flo would now be worth £37.9m, a staggering increase.
It proves that while Rangers perhaps overpaid to sign Flo in the first place, managing to recoup a decent chunk of their initial outlay allowed McLeish some breathing space as they hit the jackpot on the centre-forward.
He may not go down as an icon among the Ibrox supporters, but Flo ended his career in Glasgow with 38 goals across 72 matches, which works out as around a goal every 1.9 matches, a decent enough record to say the least.
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