Frustrated Clement intensifies pressure on Bisgrove over transfer budget.
Philippe Clement’s patience with the Ibrox board is running thin.
Appointed in October to clean up the mess left by Micky Beale, Clement’s expectations for a strong January transfer budget were likely a key topic during his hiring process.
Despite the challenges, Clement has delivered on multiple fronts, securing one trophy for the club, advancing to the last 16 of the Europa League, and closing the gap on Celtic.
In typical circumstances, this would have led to some transfer action, but despite bringing in Fabio Silva on loan early, no further signings have been made.
With Danilo, Kieran Dowell, and Abdallah Sima facing long-term injuries, Ridvan Yilmaz seeking a move, and no updates on John Lundstram or Borna Barisic’s contract situations, the situation remains uncertain.
As fans and the media eagerly await news of big-money signings, Clement is under increasing pressure to temper expectations, with every press conference focusing on potential transfers.
The strain was palpable during today’s media conference, especially on two key issues.
Would you be satisfied and confident if you don’t manage to strengthen your squad?
No, because that wasn’t the original plan for the club. I’m confident we will follow through on the plans that we all agree on.
You’ve brought Alex Lowry back from Hearts…
No, I didn’t bring him back. Hearts decided not to keep him for the next six months. The clear plan for Alex is for him to go out on loan again to gain more minutes. That’s the plan, because with the current squad, it’s going to be difficult for him to get game time.
The goal for the year was for him to get experience, grow stronger, and come back in good form to assess things in the summer. That’s what we’re working on now, and we’ll see which teams are interested and what’s the best fit for his development in the style of football we want to play.
While there are more diplomatic ways to address the Lowry situation, BBC Scotland’s Jane Lewis wasn’t trying to stir up controversy, simply wondering if the young player might feature in Clement’s plans.
Having publicly expressed concerns about the squad’s limitations, Clement is covering his bases by directing attention to James Bisgrove, urging him to provide the same level of funding that Micky Beale received in the summer.
Source: https://videocelts.com/2024/01/blogs/latest-news/angry-clement-piles-the-pressure-onto-bisgrove-for-transfer-funds/