Koppen must sell Rangers loanee who earns more than Hagi

Glasgow Rangers may have only signed one player during the January transfer window – Rafael Fernandes – while also securing a pre-contract agreement to bring Lyall Cameron to Ibrox in the summer, but Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen did manage to offload a few high earners.

Kieran Dowell and Rabbi Matondo both left the Light Blues to join Birmingham City and Hannover 96 on respective loan deals until the end of the current season.

If the pair do well, it is likely they will seal permanent moves to these clubs, thus freeing up space in the first-team squad.

Although winter signings would have been preferable, the club managed to cut the wage bill by around £6m during the summer, while another £1.3m was cut due to the transfer activity in January.

This could work wonders for the manager ahead of the summer transfer window, which should allow the Belgian to be a lot more active in strengthening his squad.

He will have to factor in offers for certain players, with one notable example being Ianis Hagi, who has been offered a new contract as his current deal expires at the end of next season.

Given his recent form, tying Hagi down to a long-term deal must be Clement’s priority over the next few weeks.

Ianis Hagi’s season in numbers

At the time of writing, the attacking midfielder is currently earning £21k-per-week, ranking him ninth in the first-team squad, behind the likes of Dujon Sterling, Tom Lawrence, and Cyriel Dessers.

Last summer, it appeared as though the Romanian international was set to depart Ibrox, despite featuring in all four matches at Euro 2024 for his country.

A contractual dispute was at the heart of the problem, and it didn’t look like a solution was going to be found, with Hagi spending his time exiled from the senior squad and training with the B team.

Fiorentina and Rapid Bucharest were keen on signing him, but Hagi stated his determination to remain at the Gers and fight for his place in the starting XI. What a decision it has been.

Since making his return to the first team during a clash against St Johnstone at the start of October, Hagi has played 18 times for the Light Blues, scoring four times while registering five assists in all competitions.

At times, he has looked unplayable, showcasing his form of old before he suffered a serious knee injury during a Scottish Cup tie in January 2022.

His form in the Premiership has been impressive, to say the least. The 26-year-old registers 2.1 shots per game while he has also created five big chances in the top flight, averages 2.1 key passes, and succeeds with 53% of his dribble attempts per game.

Hagi’s positional flexibility has also been a huge bonus for Clement. He has played on both flanks at times this season, while operating in a more central role depending on the opposition.

Having him back in this sort of form will only continue to benefit the team. If he does agree to a contract extension, it will surely place him among the highest earners at Rangers, without a shadow of a doubt.

One player who earns more than Hagi is Matondo, who hasn’t made near the same impact during his time with the club.

Rabbi Matondo’s statistics at Rangers

The Welshman joined the club during the summer of 2022 as Giovanni van Bronckhorst was bolstering his squad ahead of the new season, looking to build on the achievement of reaching the Europa League final.

He cost £3m due to a strong season with Cercle Brugge, where he registered 12 goal contributions in all competitions for the club.

His maiden season at Ibrox was a poor one, as the winger recorded just five assists due to various injury issues, a problem which plagued his spell in Glasgow.

The start of 2023/24 saw Matondo return to full fitness, and he finally scored his first goal for the Gers. It came during a Champions League qualifier against PSV Eindhoven, a goal which should have been a catalyst for him to showcase his true talents.

There were a handful of positive moments scattered throughout the season. A stunning curling effort during a routine home win over Hibernian gave the supporters a glimpse of just how effective he could be from range.

A week later, he scored an even better goal. The Light Blues trailed 3-2 to Celtic heading into injury time at Ibrox when Matondo got the ball on the left flank.

He took a touch to move the ball away from the defender before unleashing a sublime effort that sailed into the back of the net. As such, the goal was even voted Goal of the Season by the PFA, showcasing just how memorable an effort it was.

Rabbi Matondo’s wage at Rangers

Despite failing to live up to his £3m transfer fee, Matondo had been taking home £23k-per-week at the club since arriving two and a half years ago.

Considering his output during that time, it has hardly been money well spent by the Light Blues, a recurring theme at the club over the previous few years.

Overall, a total of £6.6m (his transfer fee and total wages) have been wasted on the former Schalke starlet, money which surely could have been used elsewhere.

His move to Germany will hopefully allow him to perform well, allowing a team to make an offer to sign the winger permanently during the summer, which is when Koppen should finally sell the forward due to his underperformance throughout his time at Ibrox.

On his debut, the 24-year-old announced himself at Hannover 96 in the best way possible, scoring a superb goal during the 2-2 with Hamburg in the second tier.

Koppen will be looking to get his massive wages off the bill when the summer window comes around. If Matondo keeps scoring screamers, then there will certainly be a few teams sniffing around the Welshman.