- Dundee midfielder signed pre-contract agreement but Clement says finances prevented club from taking him now
- Although Rafa Fernandes arrived on loan from Lille, Rangers were unable to secure the winger that Clement wanted
- ‘We as a club wanted more,’ admits the Belgian. ‘We didn’t achieve all the goals that we wanted.’
Philippe Clement has admitted the transfer window fell short of expectations for Rangers.
And he confirmed that finances prevented the Ibrox club from bringing in Lyall Cameron from Dundee straight away, having already signed the midfielder on a pre-contract agreement.
Rafa Fernandes arrived on loan from Lille but, with Rangers unable to secure the winger Clement wanted, the manager was left underwhelmed with the level of incoming activity.
‘We as a club wanted more,’ he revealed. ‘We didn’t achieve all the goals that we wanted and now it’s about the squad going full for everything we want, and that’s to win every game. That stays the ambition.
‘Maybe because we missed something in the transfer window, it will give an opportunity for somebody else to blossom. It can be (the case). Maybe we lose a little bit more time than we expected on the trajectory that we wanted to make with the squad. It’s about getting the maximum out of the group and to focus on that.’
Cameron will join in the summer and, while pleased to have secured the player for the long-term, Clement was disappointed no agreement could be reached to accelerate the move.
Philippe Clement was left underwhelmed by transfer activity at Rangers during window
Lyall Cameron was signed on a pre-contract but can’t join Rangers until the summer
Rafael Fernandes, right, arrived on loan from Lille but hasn’t made Rangers’ Euro squad
‘At the end, that’s a financial decision, of course,’ he added. ‘We all wanted him to come as fast as possible, but it was not possible. So, we needed to wait a few months longer.’
Clement has no concerns that the unusual situation Cameron faces over the next five months will have an adverse effect on him.
‘Yeah, we will get to know the player really well,’ he said. ‘I want that he performs really well at Dundee, because otherwise it shows also that mentality can drop really fast.
‘So, I count on that. And I don’t have any doubts with Lyall Cameron around those things.
‘He will give his best for Dundee, that’s also what I expect him to do, and to show that he’s a good player, and to develop also with Tony (Docherty) the next couple of months to come in as strong as possible towards this club.
‘If the player wants to go on holiday now for four months because he trained at Rangers, that would be a really bad sign towards me.’
Meanwhile, Clement says he feels for Fernandes after the defender failed to make the cut for his European squad along with injured pair Oscar Cortes and Neraysho Kasanwirjo. They drop out with Kieran Dowell, who’s now at Birmingham.
With Danilo, Ianis Hagi and Clinton Nsiala coming in, Clement felt he had no room to include the on-loan Lille player.
‘I explained to them that those are the rules,’ said Clement.
