Rangers were looking to sign the “decisive” SPFL star that Clement praised

Glasgow Rangers have had a love/hate relationship with the January transfer window since their introduction during the 2002/03 season.

Over the last 20 years or so, the Ibrox side have made some poor mid-season decisions, bringing in players who have failed to make an impact.

Aaron Ramsey sticks out. The Welshman signed a six-month loan from Juventus in January 2022, but he would make only 13 appearances during his time north of the border, better known for missing the decisive penalty in the Europa League final.

Elsewhere, names such as Fabio Silva, Jack Simpson and Dan Eggen will send shivers down the spines of the Ibrox faithful, but it wasn’t all bad.

Indeed, the Gers signed David Weir, Barry Ferguson, Kris Boyd and Ianis Hagi during the winter window. Players who have contributed effectively at various stages over the previous 20 years.

However, in terms of value for money, the January 2019 signing of Glen Kamara from Dundee must surely be one of the best transfers the club has made? Especially considering how well he would perform during his time in Glasgow.

Glen Kamara’s Rangers stats

Steven Gerrard has turned to the winter window to strengthen his side ahead of the second half of the 2018/19 campaign. Having just secured the club’s first win over Celtic since 2012, confidence was certainly high.

Kamara originally signed a pre-contract to join the Light Blues that summer, but for a paltry fee of just £50kGerrard had his man in mid-January, which turned out to be an excellent bargain indeed.

Scott Arfield summed up the movesaying, “Glen for 50k is the biggest steal of the century.” It was clear that the coach had an excellent player at his disposal.

Finnish midfielder made 16 appearances during the first six months, and it soon became apparent that Gerrard sees the former Arsenal academy graduate as a key player in the future.

His first full season was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, but during the 2020/21 season. Kamara was excellent for the Gers as they stormed to their first Premiership title in a decade, made all the more remarkable by the fact that they did so unbeaten.

Not only that average success rate of 91%. in the Premier League this term, but Kamara also succeeded in 77% of his dribble attempts and won 59% of his overall tackles, while demonstrating his ability to venture forward and also display plays from the heart of the pitch.

He will be remembered for his goal during the Europa League semi-final against RB Leipzig which gave the Gers the lead in the tie, but his final season was hampered by injuries.

Michael Beale was clearly not a fan of the midfielder and was sold to Leeds United in the summer of 2023 for a fee of in the region of £5.5 millionnot bad earnings from someone who cost £50k four and a half years ago.

With the January window in full swing, can Rangers repeat their masterclass from Kamar by signing another Dundee star?

Rangers urged to sign Dundee sensation

Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday knows a thing or two about playing for the club, and he encouraged Klement to take a step for Dundee gem Lyall Cameron.

Building the squad ahead of next season will now be seen as a priority, especially with the Championship title on the way for Parkhead for the fourth consecutive season.

Ahead of the recent 1-1 draw against Dundee, Klement was praising of Cameron when discussing the team, saying: “They’re really good in transition, they’ve got a lot of good players in transition. Three front players really good that way.

“Lyle Cameron too, a very good midfielder, a creative midfielder, with decisive action in the last pass and a good solid base behind him.”

With his contract expiring this summer, tying Cameron to a pre-contract agreement would be an ideal way to start planning for his next term.

Lyall Cameron’s season in numbers

This season, the 22-year-old has been in excellent form for the Dens Park side, scoring eight goals and registered seven assists through 27 matches in all competitions.

15 goal contributions is an excellent return at this stage of the season for an attacking midfielder or winger, but Cameron has played 21 of his games either as a central midfielder or deeper, which shows how much class he has going forward.

The Scot was particularly impressive in the first division. While his direct contributions in front of goal were appealing, so was Cameron created four great opportunitiesaverages 1.7 key passes per game and manages 0.6 dribbles each game.

An average of 59.7 touches of the ball per game in the Premiership shows his willingness to get involved as much as possible, not shying away from the challenges of more famous teams.

Cameron missed the clash against the Gers through injury, and things could have been different had he been fit, especially as Dundee might have been able to pull out a winner.

If an agreement could be reached this month, in a similar way to the one with Kamara, then it would strengthen the midfield, while the domestic quota would also be strengthened.

Whether that’s the type of player Clement is targeting this month remains to be seen. After bringing in youngsters like Connor Barron and Hamza Igamane over the summer, thoughts are on the future.

Cameron should be part of it, no doubt.