Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement will likely have plenty on his mind after his side dropped points once again in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend.
The Light Blues were held to a 1-1 draw by Dundee United at Ibrox and are now a whopping 11 points behind Celtic in the title race, having lost three and drawn two in the league already.
This means that the Gers, who are third in the table, may already be questioning whether or not they are still in the title race, against a relentless Hoops team.
Clement will, therefore, be plotting ways for his side to improve and gain more consistency in their performances, in an attempt to catch up with their Glasgow rivals.
The Belgian boss, however, will also be wary of what these results mean for his future. Football Insider reports that he will be given until, at least, the League Cup final clash with Celtic at Hampden Park next month before the board make a decision on his position.
He may hope that, after that final, the club decide to give him and Nils Koppen a chance to make further changes to the squad in the January transfer window.
Rangers eyeing Championship forward
According to the Yorkshire Evening Press, Rangers are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a swoop for Leeds United centre-forward Joe Gelhardt.
The report claims that interest is building in the former Wigan Athletic starlet ahead of the January window, as he has not played regularly for the Whites so far this season.
It states that there is ‘enthusiasm’ from the player’s camp to pursue a potential loan move away from Elland Road ahead of the second half of the season, but it does not reveal whether or not Leeds are prepared to sanction a deal.
The YEP reveals that there was interest, including from Rangers, in a loan for Gelhardt in the summer transfer window but the Whites were unwilling to send him away at the time.
It is now said that Portsmouth, Stoke City, Plymouth Argyle, Preston North End, Rangers, and two unnamed clubs from Belgium are lining up swoops to sign the English forward in January, due to his willingness to move away from West Yorkshire.
The report claims that they are all interested in exploring a loan agreement for the 22-year-old dynamo, whilst it remains to be seen whether or not the English side would entertain any permanent offers.
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Whether it is on loan or on a permanent deal, Clement and Koppen – should the former still be in his post – should push to win the race for the talented youngster.
He has yet to make a breakthrough at Leeds in the Championship but his form at youth level and his previous experience in the Premier League suggests that the potential is there for him to be a star for Rangers
Joe Gelhardt's attacking potential
Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, Gelhardt has only started two matches and made 12 appearances in the second tier of English football, which means that he has not had many opportunities to showcase his quality or develop as a player on the pitch.
He did show early signs of promise in the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, though, with a return of two goals and four assists in 35 top-flight outings, despite only starting six of those matches.
The 22-year-old star was described as a “human wrecking ball” and a “really exciting” talent by pundit Jamie Redknapp after his impressive start to life in the Premier League.
Unfortunately, though, Gelhardt was unable to kick on and establish himself as a regular starter for the Whites and now finds himself on the fringes of Farke’s squad.
That does not mean that he is a bad player or that he would not score goals for Rangers, though, as the youngster may just need regular minutes to find his feet and gain some confidence in front of goal.
Gelhardt’s record of five goals in five games for Wigan’s U18s and 20 goals in 31 games for Leeds United’s U21s suggests that the potential is there for the centre-forward to score goals on a regular basis, if he can find his rhythm at senior level.
Joe Gelhardt could be Clement's own Odsonne Edouard
Clement could find his own version of former Celtic number nine Odsonne Edouard by unearthing the £15k-per-week youngster’s talents at Ibrox in the second half of the season.
In the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, Gelhardt was listed as one of the most similar players to the then-Crystal Palace attacker on FBref, based on their statistics that term.
Non-penalty xG
0.36
0.32
Expected Assisted Goals
0.19
0.11
Shot-creating actions
3.14
2.93
Successful take-ons
2.05
1.73
Non-penalty goals
0.24
0.29
As you can see in the table above, both players offered a similar threat in front of goal per 90, as scorers and creators, whilst they also showcased their ability to beat defenders with the ball at their feet to create something out of nothing, with their take-on successes.
Edouard was, of course, an elite striker at Scottish Premiership level during his time on the other side of Glasgow, before his move to Crystal Palace.
As you can see in the graphic above, the French marksman plundered 87 goals in 179 appearances for the club in all competitions and won the Golden Boot in the division on two occasions, with 60 goals in 104 Premiership outings.
Rangers are looking for their clinical, reliable, goalscorer after Cyriel Dessers (16) finished eight goals behind Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland in the Golden Boot race in the top-flight last season, and has only managed four goals in 12 games this term.
Gelhardt, based on his Premier League form under Bielsa, can provide similar qualities to Edouard in the number nine position in regards to his all-round play and threat in front of goal, with his academy record suggesting that the potential is there for him to be a reliable scorer.
Rangers struck gold with Clement signing who's now similar to a £100m star
The Glasgow Rangers attacker has been a terrific addition to the squad this season.
ByDan Emery
That is why Clement and Rangers must push to bring him to Ibrox in January to see if they can unearth their own version of the former Celtic star by providing the Leeds outcast with regular minutes at first-team level.