Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale underwent the biggest squad overhaul at the Ibrox side in recent years during the summer transfer window.
Having failed to secure a trophy during the 2022/23 season while watching rivals Celtic claim a treble indicated that change was needed at the Light Blues and time will tell whether the new arrivals can change the landscape of Scottish football in the coming months.
Failing to qualify for the Champions League group stages is a major disappointment and hope now lies in the Europa League, a competition which the Gers came so close to winning in 2022.
Who did Rangers sign during the transfer window?
Beale secured the services of nine new players over the summer, as Jack Butland, Leon Balogun, Danilo, Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima, Dujon Sterling, Kieran Dowell and Jose Cifuentes arrived in Glasgow.
Coupled with the fact 11 players were either sold or left due to the expiration of their contract over the course of the last few months, it’s evident that Beale is trying to build his own team, with sentiment not coming into the equation regarding the departures of several first team players.
Despite bringing in various new faces, the club did miss out on several key targets, of which some would likely have improved the first team squad, most notably Harry Souttar, Auston Trusty and Morgan Whittaker and time will tell whether not making a more concrete effort to sign them could come back and haunt Beale.
The 42-year-old will definitely regret one failed move for a winger who was shining on the continent and could have added something extra to the Gers attacking department, that of Luis Palma, who in the end, did secure a move to the Premiership…
Why did Rangers miss out on Luis Palma?
The Light Blues first started showing an interest in Palma before the transfer window even opened, with Greek outlet Sportime claiming the club were keeping tabs on the player and had sent scouts to watch his performance for Aris Thessaloniki against Olympiacos and the report suggested that a potential move would cost the club €4m (£3.5m).
It was then reported in May that the Ibrox side had submitted an offer of £4.4m in order to sign the winger as they looked in pole position to lure him to Glasgow before the window even opened.
The bid was swiftly rejected, and the saga continued to persist throughout the remainder of the window before Beale moved on to other targets.
Palma did eventually get his move, and it transpired that Celtic managed to secure his signature for a fee of £4.3m, seemingly nicking the player from under Beale’s nose right at the end of the transfer window.
It represents a big, missed opportunity and the Honduran star will now get an opportunity to shine in Scotland and the manager may live to regret not making a more concrete effort to sign him.
How good is Luis Palma?
Last season for Aris, Palma registered 21 goal contributions across all competitions – 13 goals and eight assists – as he sparkled in Greece, and it was these performances which arguably drew interest from other clubs.
His manager Apostolos Terzis even hailed him for his outstanding campaign, saying: "Luis has done that all season. He has been a huge player for us. We know there has been a lot of interest in him and it's not surprising.
“Hopefully, playing in Europe next season will persuade him to stay with us.”
He will be playing Champions League football following his decision to join Celtic, yet Beale could have secured another Ryan Kent if he had made the move to the other side of the city.
The Englishman left Rangers following five seasons in Glasgow and during that time, he scored 33 goals and registered 56 assists across 218 matches, which works out at a goal or assist every 2.4 matches, a decent return from the winger.
Last season, however, saw his performances drop under both Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Beale, netting only three times throughout the whole season, and it was perhaps apparent that his heart wasn’t in it anymore, departing for nothing when his contract expired.
His pace and keen eye for goal are traits Beale has yet to replace and Palma would have been an ideal heir for the former Liverpool gem.
In the league last term, the 23-year-old ranked second in the Aris squad for overall Sofascore rating (7.12), while also ranking first for goals (11), shots on target per game (0.9) and successful dribbles per game (one) as he showcased his attacking talents and proved to be one of their most dangerous threats in the final third.
In comparison, Kent ranked in a lowly tenth spot for overall match rating (7.03) while failing to even crack the top five for league goals (three) or shots on target per game (0.7) and although he did finish first for successful dribbles per game (1.9), it was clear that his end product was poor, negating the impact of his dribbling skills.
There is no doubt Kent will be a miss due to his ability to run at players and cause defenders nightmares, but his overall goal output over the previous 12 months wasn’t what it should be, and perhaps a move will work out well for both parties.
Beale could have signed Kent 2.0 in Palma, especially due to his wonderful statistics from the left wing last term.
It wasn’t to be for the 42-year-old, and he will see first-hand just how much of a talent the Honduran is when he begins to play for Celtic in the coming months.
The first Old Firm derby of the season takes place at Ibrox tomorrow and Palma could well make his maiden appearance for the club in the pressure cooker environment of one of the biggest derbies in the world.
If he sparkles under Brendan Rodgers, it will prove that Rangers suffered a huge transfer howler failing to pay just £4m to land him from the Greek side way back in May and there is no doubt he would have thrived under the former QPR manager.
