Clement drops Abdallah Sima hint as Gers target Champions League transfer crescendo
Tue 6 August 2024 08:10
Cameron Willis
As Rangers prepare to kick off their Champions League qualification campaign, many reckon there’s an Abdallah Sima sized hole in the Ibrox squad.
For plenty the Gers’ summer transfer business has not moved quick enough but it’s the absence of the Senegalese forward which has most damaged the club’s XI this season.
Having spent last season on loan in Glasgow, netting 16 times in the process, many feel a return to Rangers is inevitable for the Brighton forward.
But in a horrible irony, could Rangers’ bid for Abdallah Sima depend on the club reaching the Champions League land of milk and honey?
READ MORE: The six big takeaways from Philippe Clement’s pre-Dynamo presser
Philippe Clement, Manager of Rangers, embraces Abdallah Sima of Rangers during the Scottish Cup Semi Final match between Rangers and Hearts at Hamp…
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Clement: Champions League crucial to transfer budget
We don’t have to tell you just how big a boost qualification for the revamped Champions League would be to the Ibrox coffers.
With as much as £30m on the line for Champions League qualification – and Celtic automatically qualifying for the tournament – it’s a jackpot which this season in particular would be welcomed by the club’s hierarchy.
But with a huge amount of quality and four games standing between Rangers and the group stage, everyone knows reaching the tournament is a tall order.
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In a horrible twist of fate, Rangers need the finances of Champions League football to improve the squad whilst simultaneously needing the squad to be improved to reach the Champions League.
Speaking ahead of the Champions League QR3 tie with Dynamo Kiev, Philippe Clement has been clear that how a tumultuous summer ends will firmly depend on what European competition we’re playing in next season.
“Yeah, of course, it’s a big world of difference,” said Clement when asked about whether qualification for the Champions League would impact his transfer budget.
“But you cannot count on that. It’s a long road to take.
“It’s four really important games that you need to win or to qualify in. So it’s a big road.
“So let’s focus now on the first leg and to get a good result towards the second leg and to focus all on that.
That’s what we need to do now and not to look where we are in September. It’s now the beginning of August. We need to get the best out of the situation now. That’s very important.
“It could really vary what you’re trying to do at the end of the window. That’s why you need to be prepared for the two scenarios.
“Also in your talks with players, it’s really clear that in some cases it’s only possible when you get Champions League money.
“But like I said, if you see all the teams that are playing to qualify for this, there’s a lot of quality in that. So we need to be really top in the four games to qualify. We know that.”
Rangers retain Sima interest
The comments come at the same time as Rangers continue to monitor the situation with Abdallah Sima at Brighton.
The 23-year-old ex-Slavia Prague attacker joined the Seagulls in the summer of 2021 but is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Premier League club.
Having spent spells out on loan at Stoke City in England, Angers in France, and now Rangers in Scotland, Sima was part of the Brighton squad for their pre-season tour of Japan.
However, the hitman was not involved as Brighton returned to the UK with a 1-0 friendly win over QPR over the weekend.
Whilst the Seagulls have spent big on a number of attacking players this summer, they hold the aces with Sima and and a year’s option on the striker’s current contract, which expires in 2025.
Speaking about the situation in July, Gers manager Clement hinted that Rangers are not currently in a position to fund a move for Abdallah Sima but that this might change towards the end of the window.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that Champions League qualification could be vital to financing any package to return the Senegalese – who wants to come back to Rangers – north of the border.
“I’ve been in touch with him, of course,” said Clement when asked about Sima, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
“He’s like one of my sons. Abda loves the club. Abda loves the way of playing we had last season and his role in that. He loved his teammates and the staff.
“But at the end of the day, Brighton is the owner so it’s all about the money then. At the moment it’s not possible. But we will see along the way if there comes a possibility because we would love to get him back. We will see if it is possible.”
Many feel Rangers could use Abdallah Sima for the trip to Poland to face Dynamo Kiev.
But should the Gers overcome the Ukrainians, it’ll represent a huge boost in the club’s ambitions to bring Abdallah Sima back to Ibrox.
Related Topics
ABDALLAH SIMA
PHILIPPE CLEMENT
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