Rangers bosses have reportedly made contact to sign the Swedish international on loan Philippe Clement in the January transition period.
Rangers are looking for a new defender in January
It was an eventful start to 2025 at Ibrox, with Rangers beating arch-rivals Celtic in their first Scottish Premiership schedule of the calendar year before dropping points away to Dundee and Hibernian.
As a result, the pressure has once again increased on Clement, however, chief executive Patrick Stewart recently revealed that the club are backing the Belgian. Talking to Sky SportsStewart said:
“I have to make some tough decisions, that comes with the role, but I am committed to making the right decisions for Rangers, not just the popular ones. So, to cut to the chase, we support Philippe at the moment as a board.
“It’s about taking a deeper look at problems, solving those problems and staying focused on building a stronger future for the club.
“Changing managers is not a smart solution. You know where I worked before, and it’s not something that was effective there, it’s not effective in many football clubs where managers are constantly changing.”
Stewart also spoke about Rangers’ plans for the January transfer window, admitting the need for a centre-back is on the club’s wish list despite the winter market being difficult to do business with.
“The January window in general is not particularly fruitful. Most clubs who sell don’t want to sell their best players. We have no intention of selling players who are currently playing on the park and why would we expect any other club to challenge for trophies.
“All that said… I think there are a couple of scenarios where it can be really effective. Firstly, when a club has suffered injuries like we have – particularly at centre-back – it’s an opportunity to make a reactive signing. This is a position we’ve been looking at since December and therefore we were active in discussions.”
Stewart and technical director Nils Koppen have been linked with a number of defenders, including Manchester United Jonny EvansNorwich City’s Grant Hanley and Cavalier FC Richard Kinghowever, a new target has now emerged.
Rangers make an international approach to Sweden
According to the Swedish edition of Expressen, Rangers have made contact with Burnley defender Hjalmar Ekdal. However, the Gers are not the only club interested in the Clarets centre-back, with Stoke City, QPR, Middlesbrough also interested in the 26-year-old.
Ekdal, the Swedish international, should be loaned to Burnley this month, and Sampdoria, Empoli, Brescia and Groningen are also interested abroad.
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Former Burnley boss Vincent Kompany praised Ekdal and Ameen Al-Dakhil back in 2023, calling the duo “intelligent”. “They are intelligent players and that helps. They communicate, they understand when they are asked to do certain tasks and they have athleticism.
“At times when they’re not quite in the right position or haven’t done something perfectly, they can compensate. They are centre-backs who are quite mobile, you could run in the woods and they will run with the midfielders.”
