Glasgow Rangers can now turn their attention to the upcoming summer transfer window after their 2023/24 campaign came to an end last weekend.
The Light Blues lost the SFA Cup final 1-0 at Hampden Park on Saturday, thanks to a goal from Adam Idah, and they will now be preparing for next season, in the hope of greater success on the domestic and European front.
Philippe Clement ended his first campaign at Ibrox, albeit having joined in October after Michael Beale's departure, with one piece of silverware to his name, having won the League Cup.
The Belgian boss will now be working with head of recruitment Nils Koppen to identify and sign targets to improve his playing squad over the coming months.
Brazilian left-back Jefte has already joined on a permanent deal from Fluminense to become the first addition of the window, and the Light Blues are reportedly looking to bolster their options in the wide areas as well.
Rangers interest in the £3.5m winger
The Scottish giants are said to be interested in a deal to sign experienced winger Adama Traore, not the Fulham and former Wolverhampton Wanderers one, from Ferencvaros this summer.
A recent report from Africa Foot claimed that the Gers want to improve the quality of their attacking options and have identified the forward as a target.
The outlet added that the two teams are already in advanced talks over a transfer for the 28-year-old wizard, with Rangers seemingly moving quickly to thrash out an agreement.
It stated that 'several' European teams are keen on signing the talented attacker but the Light Blues are 'close' to landing his services, which suggests that they have won the race for his signature ahead of a number of other sides.
Africa Foot also revealed that Clement and Koppen are poised to splash out a significant fee of £3.5m to Traore ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Earlier this month, Football Insider claimed that Rangers are set to hold talks with Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion over a permanent deal for Abdallah Sima.
The report added that the English team would accept an offer of around £6m for the Senegal international, who just spent the season on loan at Ibrox, but it remains to be seen whether or not the Gers are prepared to splash that kind of fee on the winger.
Clement, however, could now forget all about a permanent move for Sima this summer by securing a deal to sign Traore for £2.5m less over the coming weeks.
Abdallah Sima's season with Rangers in numbers
The right-footed star joined the Light Blues on loan from Brighton last summer after he had scored five goals in 34 Ligue 1 games for Angers last season.
It was a bit of a gamble from the club at the time as the 22-year-old whiz had not scored more than five league goals in a season since the 2020/21 campaign for Slavia Prague.
Sima, however, proved himself to be a reliable goal threat for the Scottish side throughout the campaign, for both Beale and Clement, with a return of 16 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions.
The second half of his season was, though, blighted by injury issues as the forward missed 20 competitive matches with a hamstring injuries between January and April.
Appearances
25
Starts
17
Goals
11
Big chances missed
6
Conversion rate
15%
Shots per game
2.9
As you can see in the table above, 11 of the strikes from the talented forward came in the Scottish Premiership, despite him starting just 17 games.
Those 11 goals came from an xG of 10.04, an overperformance of 0.96, and this shows that the gem was a fine finisher who did not miss many high-quality opportunities to find the back of the net.
He also plundered three goals, from 2.0 xG, in three Europa League outings for the Light Blues, which shows that the Brighton loanee has the quality to step up in Europe as well.
These statistics show that the 6 foot 2 dynamo provided Clement with a regular goal threat from the wide areas, and that is why he could be a good signing on a permanent deal this summer.
However, the Belgian head coach could now forget all about Sima by landing a cheaper alternative who could end up offering more in the final third.
Why Rangers should sign Adama Traore
Firstly, Traore is reportedly set to cost the Scottish giants a fee of £3.5m this summer and this means that he is £2.5m cheaper than the £6m it would supposedly taketo snap the Brighton forward up.
This means that Koppen and Clement could save £2.5m from their budget by landing the Ferencvaros star to bolster their options out wide, and invest that money into other players, potentially in other positions of need.
The Mali international, who journalist Bence Bocsák once hailed as "superb", has been a terrific operator for the Hungarian outfit since his move to the club in the summer of 2022, with a fantastic return of 32 goals and 16 assists in 73 matches.
This means that he has averaged a goal or an assist every 1.52 games for Ferencvaros, which comes after the forward averaged one every 1.49 outings for FC Sheriff with 25 goals and 16 assists in 61 appearances.
Appearances
13
25
Sofascore rating
7.35
7.29
Goals
8
11
Minutes per goal
99
147
Conversion rate
27%
15%
Key passes per game
1.3
0.8
As you can see in the table above, Traore scored more frequently than the Rangers forward at league level this season, with one strike every 99 minutes on average.
The 28-year-old star, who scored six goals and provided four assists in six Europa Conference League qualifiers this term, has recorded 16 assists for Ferencvaros since the start of last season, whilst Sima has managed 13 assists in 131 career appearances.
This suggests that the £3.5m Rangers target could provide a significantly greater threat as a creative force for the club on the left flank, whilst also having the potential to score more frequently than the Senegal international.
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