Rangers manager Philippe Clement believes he has a much bigger challenge than Brendan Rodgers as he compared their “big rebuild” to Celtic’s “small renovation.”

The Belgian has made eight new signings as he looks to catch Rangers’ Old Firm rivals in the Scottish Premiership to stop Celtic winning their fourth consecutive title, which would make it 13 in 14 seasons.

Vaclav Cerny, Hamza Igamane, Jefte, Clinton Nsiala, Liam Kelly, Connor Barron have joined the Ibrox club and Oscar Cortes has returned on loan with an obligation to buy in the summer, while Mohamed Diomande made his loan move permanent.

Connor Barron has joined Rangers from Aberdeen
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Connor Barron has joined Rangers from Aberdeen

Rangers will play their home games at Hampden Park after a delay in materials arriving from Asia resulted in a hold-up on works to their Copland Road Stand at Ibrox.

Clement, who replaced Michael Beale as manager last October, has stressed the need for patience.

“We know of course theirs [Celtic] is a small renovation with a few details and they can build on their core. We have a big rebuild,” he told Sky Sports News.

“So let us first make a good foundation on this rebuild of our house and let us build our house the next couple of weeks in the next couple of months to make it much stronger, then it will be much stronger than it was six months ago.”

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Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland says the squad are used to being written off in the Scottish Premiership title race but says it is something they need to embrace

Rangers were troubled by a spate of injuries to key players last season with Clement vowing the fitness of the squad would improve.

“We’ve fixed things for sure, but not everything yet. You cannot do that in five weeks. That’s impossible,” he added.

“But we almost didn’t have injuries in the pre-season. We had an unlucky one with Nicolas Raskin with a bad tackle. Those things can happen with football.

“We’ve had a few minor muscle things but nothing major so that’s a big step forward. Several players who were injured a lot in the last two or three years are much more in pre-season now, so they will be more robust.

“But this is not the end of the pre-season for them. The next two or three months will also be crucial to make them stronger and better. We need to make a good combination of making them stronger and letting them play games.”

Could Cantwell stay?

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MAY 05: Rangers Manager Philippe Clement (R) and Todd Cantwell during a cinch Premiership match between Rangers and Kilmarnock at Ibrox Stadium, on May 05, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
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Todd Cantwell joined Rangers in January 2023

Todd Cantwell has handed in a transfer request, but Clement insisted the midfielder has the option to change his mind and remain for the new season.

The 26-year-old is training with the B team until the situation is resolved.

“I kept the door open all these weeks, because it’s already a while ago that he came the first time with that,” he said.

“As long as a player is here and we believe in his qualities the door is always open, but we need to focus now on the guys who are totally with their minds in the club and to getting the results.”

Scottish Premiership and SWPL on Sky Sports

SPFL ball for 2023/24 season

Sky Sports – From 2024/25 up to 60 Scottish Premiership games will be available across Sky Sports’ flagship channels, including Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event, plus at least five SWPL matches.

Sky Sports News – Running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Scottish football fans can enjoy Sky Sports News’ (channel 409) rolling editorial coverage of the Premiership and SWPL throughout the season.

Sky Sports Digital – Follow all the latest from Scottish football across SkySports.com and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage, in-game clips from matches live on Sky Sports and free highlights.

Sky Sports Social – Alongside coverage and visibility for the league across all Sky Sports’ main social media channels, the bespoke X page @ScotlandSky will continue to be the home of all Scottish football content on Sky Sports.

Highlights show – Tune in for a dedicated round-up from the cinch Premiership every week on Sky Sports Football.

Sky Sports is the home of domestic football in the UK and Ireland, with action from the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Women’s Premier League, Premier League, WSL, EFL, and more.

When does the summer transfer window open and close?

The 2024 summer transfer window is now open and will close on August 30 at 11pm UK time in England and at 11.30pm in Scotland.

The Premier League and Scottish Premiership brought forward Deadline Day to link up with the other major leagues in Europe. The closing dates were set following discussions with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.

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