Rangers director of recruitment Nils Koppen had a big task on his hands to overhaul the Ibrox squad in this summer’s transfer window.
It was never a job that was going to be easy, nor is it one which was going to be completed in a matter of three months.
As Rangers look to the future with the players they did manage to get in through the door, there are several near misses from a summer transfer window which could yet prove make or break for Philippe Clement.
And one such high-profile summer transfer target is yet to start for his new club after appearing to turn down the Gers in favour of a move to the German Bundesliga.
Rangers-linked winger waits for Bundesliga start
Rangers fans will remember links to German youth international winger Yusuf Kabadayi back in the early stages of the summer window.
The Bayern Munich talent, 20, was signposted as a potential solution to the club’s wideman woes after an impressive season on loan at Schalke 04 in Bundesliga 2.
With Rangers having struck an impressive loan-to-buy deal with Bayern talent Malik Tillman, there were hopes the Ibrox side could agree a similar deal to sign Kabadayi.
Social media images of the winger in the UK set the transfer rumour mill into overdrive, whilst journalist Chris Jack claimed the Gers were ‘expected’ to sign the winger.
But after all the chatter between Rangers and Kabadayi, the winger opted to move to Bundesliga outfit Augsburg where he has yet to make a start for the club.
Yusuf Kabadayi would’ve been given Ibrox chance
Playing the sum total of 58 minutes across four games for Augsburg, it’s fair to say Yusuf Kabadayi is considered one for the future at the Bundesliga club.
An unused substitute more often than not on league duties, Kabadayi might have got small opportunities at the Augsburg Arena but the winger remains on the fringes of the club’s starting XI.
Yet to feature in October, Kabadayi faces a stiff battle to dislodge the likes of Phillip Tietz and Ruben Vargas in the Augsburg team.
But the winger has made an early impression with his new side, scoring on his Bundesliga debut when he came off the bench in the 3-1 win at home to St Pauli.
What then might the winger be thinking after the initial €1m (£830k) switch in the summer.
With Rangers short in wide areas, you get the feeling they would’ve been more than willing to hand Kabadayi a platform to play his game.
Rangers have taken a youthful approach to transfers in recent windows, handing first-team opportunities to a string of young but talented players.
The likes of Jefte, Connor Barron, Mohamed Diomande and Hamza Igamane are the stand-out examples, with the likes of Ridvan Yilmaz and Oscar Cortes recovery from injury.
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