Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement has his first summer transfer window at Ibrox to look forward to with head of recruitment Nils Koppen at the end of the season.

The Light Blues boss, who lifted the League Cup with the club earlier this term, will have his first opportunity to shape his squad over multiple months, rather than the restricted one month of business at the start of this year.

Players with expiring contracts may be the first thing on his plate as a number of stars, including John Lundstram, Kemar Roofe, and Borna Barisic, are currently set to leave for nothing this summer.

Clement recently claimed that he is confident that Lundstram, despite links to Trabzonspor, will put pen to paper on a new deal. However, the Belgian boss could move on from the Englishman by bringing academy star Bailey Rice into the first-team picture.

John Lundstram’s season in numbers

The 30-year-old midfielder has started 27 of the club’s matches in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, and has been a key figure in the middle of the park.

Lundstram, who has produced zero goals and three assists in the league, has completed 89% of his attempted passes throughout the campaign, which speaks to his reliability and quality in possession of the ball.

As you can see in the table above, the English dynamo has been one of the club’s top performers in various metrics on and off the ball for the Gers.

It would, therefore, be a blow on paper to lose the midfielder on a free and, in an ideal world, hopefully Rangers can pin him down to an extension.

Rangers’ homegrown John Lundstram replacement

The Gers could, however, have a dream homegrown replacement for Lundstram and be able to move on from the experienced ace, should he leave this summer, with Rice.

Dubbed a “serious” talent by journalist Jonny McFarlane last year, the 17-year-old academy starlet has already made three first-team appearances for the club in the Premiership – two of which have come this season.

The teenage dynamo completed 86% of his attempted passes and created one chance in just 14 minutes of action across his two league outings this term, with a 100% pass accuracy (5/5) in his only appearance during the 2022/23 campaign.

This shows that the midfield enforcer, who provides defensive protection in front of the backline predominantly playing as a number six, may have the composure and quality on the ball to replicate Lundstram’s metronomic play in possession.

Rice was a regular for the B team in the Lowland League, with two goals and one assist in 14 outings, to go along with six UEFA Youth League appearances, last season, and his goal should now be to kick on and earn a regular spot in the first-team.

Lundstram leaving on a free transfer, if Rangers do not agree an extension with him, could open the door for the 17-year-old titan to emerge as Clement’s homegrown replacement, given the potential he has already shown by making his senior bow at such a young age.

It would then be down to Rice to take his opportunity and kick on by developing alongside more minutes on the pitch at first-team level over the subsequent months and years.

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