Glasgow Rangers have a love/hate relationship with the January transfer window since its introduction to the game during the 2002/03 season.
Over the last 20 years or so, the Ibrox side have made some poor decisions midway through the season, bringing in players who failed to make an impact.
Aaron Ramsey sticks out. The Welshman was signed on a six-month loan deal from Juventus in January 2022, yet he would make just 13 appearances during his spell north of the border, being more known for missing the decisive penalty kick 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 hasn’t all been 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 across the previous 20 years.
In terms of value for money, however, surely the signing of Glen Kamara from Dundee in January 2019 is one of the finest pieces of transfer business the club has conducted? Especially given how well he would perform during his stint in Glasgow.
Glen Kamara’s Rangers’ statistics
Steven Gerrard turned to the winter window in order to bolster 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 initially signed a pre-contract deal to join the Light Blues that summer, but for the paltry fee of just £50k, Gerrard had his man midway through January in what turned out to be a wonderful bargain indeed.
Scott Arfield summed up the move, saying: “Glen for 50 grand is the biggest steal of the century.” It was clear the manager had an excellent player available.
The Finnish midfielder made 16 appearances during his first six months, and it soon became apparent that Gerrard saw the former Arsenal academy graduate as a key player going forward.
His first full season was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic, but throughout 2020/21, Kamara was excellent for the Gers as they stormed to a first Premiership title in a decade, made even more remarkable by the fact they did it unbeaten.
Not only did he average a 91% pass success rate in the top flight that term, but Kamara also succeeded with 77% of his dribble attempts and won 59% of his total duels, as he demonstrated his ability to both venture forward while also indicating games from the heart of the pitch.
He will be remembered for his goal during the semi-final of the Europa League against RB Leipzig which put the Gers ahead in the tie, but his final season was hampered by injuries.
Michael Beale clearly wasn’t a fan of the midfielder, and he was sold to Leeds United in the summer of 2023 for a fee in the region of £5.5m, not a bad profit to be made on someone who cost £50k four and a half years previously.
With the January window in full swing, could Rangers repeat their Kamara masterclass 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 has urged Clement to make a move for Dundee gem Lyall Cameron.
“[Rangers] just need to prepare a squad, whether it’s depth, quality, line up players for the summer and try to do as much business as they can.
“Pre contracts! Two players I would sign right now; Lyall Cameron and Josh Mulligan. Honestly, I would sign the two of them.”
Building a squad ahead of next season will now be seen as a priority, especially given that the league title is on its way to Parkhead for the fourth season in a row.
Ahead of the recent 1-1 draw against Dundee, Clement heaped praise on Cameron when discussing the squad, saying: “They are really good in transition, they have a lot of good players in transition. Three front players really good in that way.
“Lyle Cameron also, a very good midfielder, creative midfielder, with decisive action in the last pass and a good solid base behind him also.”
With his contract expiring this summer, tying Cameron down to a pre-contract agreement would be an ideal way to begin planning for 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 registering seven assists across 27 games in all competitions.
15 goal contributions is an excellent return at this stage of the season for an attacking midfielder or winger, yet Cameron has played 21 of his games either as a central midfielder or deeper, indicating how much class he has going forward.
Metric
Lyall Cameron
Connor Barron
Mohamed Diomande
Goals
5
0
1
Assists
4
0
2
Big chances created
4
0
3
Key passes per game
1.7
0.9
1
Shots per game
1.6
0.3
1.2
Ground duels won per game
3.3
2.7
3.5
The Scot has been particularly impressive in the top flight. While his direct contributions in front of goal have been eye-catching, Cameron has also created four big chances, averages 1.7 key passes per game and succeeds with 0.6 dribbles each match.
Averaging 59.7 touches of the ball per game in the Premiership demonstrates his willingness to get involved as much as possible, not shying away from the challenge of more illustrious teams.
Cameron missed the clash against the Gers due to injury, and things might have been different had he been fit, especially as Dundee could have perhaps grabbed a winner.
If a deal could be struck this month, one in a similar vein to that of Kamara, then it would give the midfield a boost, while strengthening the homegrown quota too.
It remains to be seen whether this is the sort of player Clement is targeting this month. Having brought in youngsters such as Connor Barron and Hamza Igamane during the summer, thoughts are on the future.
Cameron should be a part of that, no doubt about it.
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