Rangers messed up selling a star who’s now similar to a £58m sensation

Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement is beginning to turn the tide at Ibrox after a run of eight matches unbeaten in all competitions, including four straight wins.

Football Insider reported last month that pressure was mounting on the Belgian manager’s head amid a run of poor form at that time, including a 3-0 loss to Celtic, a 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock, and a 2-1 loss to Aberdeen.

The outlet added that the board were not going to make an immediate decision on his future, though, as they want to give him until the League Cup final to buy himself some more time.

Rangers face off against the Hoops at Hampden Park in the final on Sunday, after they face Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League on Thursday, in the hope of landing a second trophy in as many seasons.

Clement, no matter what happens on Sunday, has already achieved more than his predecessor, Michael Beale, did in the dugout, given his League Cup success last year.

The former Rangers head coach was relieved of his duties last year and replaced by the Belgian boss after a difficult time as the main man in Glasgow.

Michael Beale’s worst Rangers transfer dealings

Beale, who had been the assistant at Ibrox under Steven Gerrard in the past, had one full summer transfer window in charge of the club, in 2023.

He made nine additions to the first-team squad in that window and had mixed success. The four players signed permanently for transfer fees were Danilo, Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers, and Jose Cifuentes.

Danilo has missed 46 games through injury since his move to Ibrox so it is hard to judge whether or not he should be deemed a successful signing at this point.

Dessers has had mixed success with 22 goals and 33 ‘big chances’ missed in the Scottish Premiership since the start of last season, which shows that he has been incredibly wasteful despite having a respectable goal return.

Lammers scored two goals in 31 matches in all competitions before being sent out on loan to FC Utrecht and then sold to FC Twente in the summer, after just one year at Ibrox.

Cifuentes, meanwhile, is still contracted to Rangers but is on loan at Aris Saloniki until the end of this season, after making just 20 appearances in his first year with the Gers.

Beale also allowed the likes of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos to leave on free transfers, and cashed in on Antonio Colak, Glen Kamara, and Fashion Sakala, in order to free up space for his own signings.

The sale of Kamara, in particular, has turned out to be a howler from the English boss, as he has gone on to thrive away from Ibrox in recent seasons.

How much Rangers sold Glen Kamara for

In the summer of 2023, Championship side Leeds United swooped in to sign the Finland international from Rangers for a reported fee of £5m, as Beale seemingly deemed him surplus to requirements.

Kamara only started 12 of his 22 appearances in the 2022/23 campaign, with Beale in charge for the majority of that term, and struggled with his lack of game time, averaging 1.0 tackles and interceptions per game and failing to register a single assist.

The 29-year-old star, who former boss Neil McCann hailed as being “made of iron”, had been a key player in the previous, 2021/22, campaign under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the middle of the park, before the English coach came in and, seemingly, did not see him as a key part of his plans.

He also started 11 of the club’s 14 matches en route to the final of the Europa League that season, contributing with one goal and two assists from a deep-lying midfield position.

As you can see in the table above, Kamara was a regular starter under van Bronckhorst in the Scottish top-flight and was incredibly reliable in possession, as a midfield metronome for the Gers.

However, Beale seemingly did not see the value in the Finnish midfielder and opted to cash in on him in the summer of 2023 and, just over a year later, the player’s performances have him on a similar level to a £58m-rated sensation.

Glen Kamara similar to PSG star

After spending a year at Leeds in the Championship, losing in the play-off final, Kamara completed a permanent transfer to Ligue 1 side Rennes this summer.

His form for the French team this season has led to Paris Saint-Germain star Warren Zaire-Emery being listed as the most similar player to him in Ligue 1, as per FBref.

As you can see in the chart above, both players are incredibly progressive passers and creative midfielders who do not offer a great deal defensively or as goalscorers.

They are midfield metronomes who want to have plenty of touches to progress the ball forward to find teammates in dangerous areas in the final third.

Zaire-Emery has an Estimated Transfer Value of roughly £58m on FootballTransfers and this highlights how impressive Kamara’s form for Rennes has been this season, as his performances have been incredibly similar to the French sensation’s.

As you can see in the table above, Kamara has completed an eye-catching 91% of his passes in the French top-flight and held his own in duels with opposition players off the ball.

The Finland international, as was the case in his time with Rangers before Beale’s arrival, has been a metronomic presence in midfield and is now showcasing his quality in a major European league.

Therefore, Beale messed up by cashing in on the central midfielder for £5m as there could have been more to come from Kamara in a Rangers shirt, based on how his career has gone since moving on from Ibrox.