Glasgow Rangers have had to rely on their fair share of free transfers to bulk up the squad in recent transfer windows.
Failure to build on the Premiership success of 2020/21 has led to the Light Blues slipping behind Celtic domestically, winning just two cup competitions since.
Qualifying for the Champions League group stages during the 2021/22 campaign could have seen Steven Gerrard enjoy major financial rewards which may have altered the course of the Scottish football hierarchy.
Alas, the Gers failed to reach the land of milk and honey. They did reach the Europa League final in 2022, but the likes of Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale splashed money on several expensive flops, leaving Philippe Clement with a mammoth task on his hands this summer.
The club have endured a difficult time in the transfer window since the summer of 2021, yet there have been a few hidden gems that have cost the club nothing in the way of a transfer fee recently.
Rangers' recent free transfer arrivals
Beale spent vast sums of money last summer in order to bring Danilo, Sam Lammers and Cyriel Dessers to Glasgow in the hope that they could fill in the void left by the likes of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos.
Around £15m was wasted last year, as only Dessers has shown real consistency, scoring 22 goals in all competitions.
Player
Previous club
Year joined
Jack Butland
Crystal Palace
2023
Dujon Sterling
Chelsea
2023
Leon Balogun
QPR
2023
John Souttar
Hearts
2022
Tom Lawrence
Derby County
2022
John Lundstram
Sheffield United
2021
Fashion Sakala
KV Oostende
2021
Steven Davis
Southampton
2019
Jermain Defoe
AFC Bournemouth
2019
Several players will surely have to be moved on by Clement when the summer transfer window opens in order to give him some flexibility in the market to bolster his playing squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
If the buyers aren’t there, however, the Belgian may have to focus the majority of his transfer business on players who won’t command a fee.
Despite enduring a turbulent ten-month period in charge of the Light Blues, Beale did work his savvy in the market as the likes of Dujon Sterling and Leon Balogun joined the club for free last summer.
His most important decision was to lure Jack Butland north of the border, however, and the Englishman was certainly the signing of the season.
Jack Butland's arrival at Rangers
After yet another poor domestic campaign, Beale was tasked with rebuilding the side ahead of the 2023/24 season in the hope that Rangers could challenge Celtic for the league title.
Beale oversaw a mass exodus of players departing Ibrox, while nine new arrivals joined the Light Blues.
Allan McGregor was one of the first team stars to leave. Across two separate spells for the club, the Scot made close to 500 competitive appearances, yet his final two seasons saw a few mistakes creep into his game, and it was clear retirement was calling.
Bringing in a ‘keeper who could be relied upon between the posts was crucial for Beale if he wanted to build a solid core to his new-look Rangers, yet a move for Butland was a gamble.
The former Stoke City number one had played only 15 times following the start of the 2021/22 season, with zero appearances coming last term due to a broken finger which kept him out for 16 games.
Following the expiration of his Crystal Palace contract, Beale quickly snapped him up in what was arguably his finest piece of transfer business during his short spell as the manager of the Ibrox side.
While Rangers may have lost the league title to Celtic following a drop-off in form during the run in, they wouldn’t have been in a race if it were not for Butland and his incredible shot-stopping ability.
Jack Butland’s Rangers statistics
Firstly, Butland has played a total of 56 times for the Gers this season, conceding 49 goals while racking up 25 clean sheets in the process.
Narrowing that down to just Premiership matches, the Englishman has played 37 times in the league, keeping 18 clean sheets while conceding 29 goals.
When compared with other ‘keepers in the top flight, Butland has kept the most clean sheets while making the third most runs out throughout the campaign, demonstrating his importance to the Light Blues.
Rangers losing the league isn’t down to the goalkeeper, it is down to the defenders in front of Butland failing to cut out sloppy errors in the most important matches.
With Euro 2024 just around the corner, Butland must surely be catching the eye of Gareth Southgate as he aims to secure a seat on the plane to Germany. Clement certainly thinks he is ready, saying this back in February:
"If people are talking about being in the England squad, that says enough – because England will be one of the favourites to win [Euro 2024].
"It is the decision of Mr Southgate. He knows all the other goalkeepers, I don't watch all these games, so I cannot make comparison, but I can say one thing, Jack is totally ready – every game he is proving that."
Jack Butland’s market value at Rangers
Former Rangers midfielder Derek Ferguson hailed the player as “phenomenal” previously and according to Transfermarkt, his current valuation is €3m (£2.5m), which could continue to rise given his impressive displays of late.
This value is currently more than another free transfer who has shone for the Ibrox side this season – John Souttar.
The Scot is currently worth around €2.5m (£2.1m) and given how consistent he has been this season, missing just 16 matches in all competitions, his importance to the squad has certainly increased under Clement.
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Butland’s displays this term could certainly attract attention from the Premier League, as a few clubs could be interested in making a move for the Englishman this summer.
Clement would certainly be able to demand a significant sum of money for the player, but could the Gers replace him ahead of next season?
The 50-year-old coach may face some tough decisions this summer, but if he could add another one or two free transfers into his squad who have some excellent potential to be sold for a profit down the line, they must be secured sooner rather than later.