Glasgow Rangers went through the summer transfer window without a permanent sporting director or director of football to work in tandem with Michael Beale at Ibrox to improve the squad.

This resulted in the English head coach being able to bring in nine new signings to shape the team to his will; including Cyriel Dessers, Danilo, Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima, Jack Butland, Leon Balogun, Dujon Sterling, Jose Cifuentes, and Kieran Dowell.

A number of these signings have not worked out thus far and Beale was relieved of his duties after a run of three losses from the opening seven Scottish Premiership matches.

Philippe Clement was subsequently brought in to replace him and the club have now ensured that the Belgian will be supported in the transfer market with the appointment of Nils Koppen as the new director of football recruitment.

The 38-year-old chief is due to join the Gers from PSV on the 2nd of January and here are four dream signings he could pull off to make an instant impact at Ibrox…

1 Lawrence Shankland

TEAMtalk reported over the summer that the Gers were eyeing up Hearts centre-forward Lawrence Shankland as a target to replace Alfredo Morelos at the time, as the Colombia international had departed on a free transfer.

However, Beale opted to go with Dessers, Lammers, and Danilo as his forward signings and Dessers, in particular as a number nine, has struggled badly.

The Nigeria international has managed four goals and zero assists in 12 Premiership outings, and has lost a staggering 77% of his ground duels in that time.

He has also made four Europa League group stage appearances for the Light Blues and is yet to contribute with a goal, assist, or 'big chance' created for the side.

Shankland, on the other hand, could come in as an upgrade on Dessers when you consider his form for Hearts since the start of last season.

The Scotland international has produced 11 goals in 21 matches in all competitions for his side, which includes six goals in 14 Premiership games.

Last term, the 28-year-old marksman racked up an impressive tally of 28 goals and four assists in 47 appearances for Hearts – with 24 of those coming in the Scottish top-flight – and these statistics suggest that Shankland could be a big upgrade on Dessers with his superior strike rate.

2 Darius Olaru

In midfield, Koppen could reignite the club's reported summer interest in FCSB attacking midfielder Darius Olaru, who could provide Clement with a creative spark in the middle of the park, and trigger his €5m (£4.3m) release clause.

The 25-year-old has scored seven goals and created ten 'big chances' in 18 league appearances for his club so far this season, along with 2.2 key passes per game.

Last season, the Romania international caught the eye with one goal, 19 'big chances' created, and 2.2 key passes per match across 37 league outings.

James Tavernier (3.4) is the only Rangers player with more than 2.1 key passes per game in the Premiership this season, whilst no Gers midfielder has managed more than 1.7 per clash.

This suggests that the "inexhaustible" playmaker – as described by Alex Scout on X – has the ability to be an outstanding creative option in midfield for Clement.

3 Ryan Kent

TEAMtalk reported last month that the Gers are one of a number of teams keeping tabs on Ryan Kent's situation ahead of his potential availability in January.

The outlet claimed that Leeds United and Bournemouth are both interested in the Fenerbahce forward, who has had a tough start to life in Turkey and could already be on his way out of the club.

They are said to be willing to loan him out for the second half of the campaign and would be open to including a permanent option to sell him for a fee of around £6m.

With the aforementioned lack of creativity within the midfield and wide options at Ibrox, Kent could be a fantastic signing as a forward who could hit the ground running to make an instant impact as an impressive creator.

The 27-year-old whiz already knows what it takes to perform in Scottish football due to his spell with Rangers and caught the eye last season with eight assists, nine 'big chances' created, and 2.2 key passes per game over 29 outings.

Appearances

218

Goals

33

Assists

56

He proved himself to be a reliable option out wide over a prolonged period of time in Scotland and that is why he could be a dream signing for Koppen to make, particularly on loan.

4 Ben Godfrey

Finally, versatile defender Ben Godfrey could come in to bolster the club's defensive options after it was reported by 90min in November that the Gers are keen on the Everton outcast ahead of January.

35-year-old veteran Leon Balogun has started each of the side's last four Premiership matches and lined up against St Mirren with Ben Davies and John Souttar on the bench.

This suggests that Clement does not think too highly of his other centre-back options as Balogun, who arrived on a free transfer from QPR, has ousted them from the starting XI.

FFC published an article last month explaining why Godfrey could come in as an upgrade on Davies and that could, therefore, provide the Nigerian defender with more competition for his place alongside Connor Goldson.

The Everton defender previously showcased his ball-playing ability as a centre-back in a dominant team by ranking within the top 21% of his peers for progressive passes (3.35) per 90 and the top 13% for progressive carries (1.17) per 90 during the 2018/19 Championship season with Norwich.

Whereas, Davies ranks within the bottom 28% of Europa League central defenders for progressive carries (0.20) per 90 this season and does not offer as much drive to push the team up the pitch.

Godfrey is also three years younger than the ex-Liverpool man, and ten years younger than Balogun, which means that he has plenty of time and room to develop further.

Therefore, he could be an impressive addition to the side if Clement can get him firing to the best of his abilities as a ball-playing defender.