Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement enjoyed his first transfer window at the club in January, alongside new head of recruitment Nils Koppen.
It was their first chance to shape the squad to their will after the work former Light Blues boss Michael Beale did over the two previous transfer windows.
They allowed the likes of Sam Lammers and Jose Cifuentes to depart on loan, just six months after they had been signed by the English tactician, and swooped to sign Fabio Silva, Oscar Cortes, and Mohammed Diomande initially on loan.
Clement and Koppen will be hoping to nail recruitment over the coming windows as they look to build a team that can compete for and win multiple trophies per season.
The Scottish giants have made their fair share of blunders in the transfer market, particularly in recent years, and Dutchman Giovanni van Bronckhorst – working alongside sporting director Ross Wilson – was not exempt from that.
For example, the former Rangers and Arsenal midfielder, who could also play at full-back, had a howler with the signing of Ben Davies, who cost more than Ridvan Yilmaz, in the summer of 2022.
How much Rangers paid for Ben Davies
The Glasgow-based outfit spent £4m to sign the central defender from Premier League giants Liverpool in the summer of 2022, who had signed him from Preston North End for £500k in 2021.
Jurgen Klopp swooped for the English titan to provide cover at the back for the Reds but he did not hand the Barrow-born gem a single appearance for the club before they sold him to Rangers.
He spent the 2021/22 campaign on loan with Sheffield United in the English Championship, which meant that the centre-back was playing regular football before his move to Ibrox, even if it was not with Liverpool.
Appearances
22
Ground duel success rate
71%
Aerial duel success rate
54%
Errors
1
Pass accuracy
85%
As you can see in the table above, Davies showcased his strength in physical duels against opposition players as he won the majority of his battles on the deck and in the air throughout the season for the Blades.
That came after the left-footed enforcer had made 145 appearances for Preston in all competitions combined, including League One and the Championship, before his move to Anfield.
His form south of the border convinced van Bronckhorst, who hailed Davies as a "strong" defender, to spend £4m on the Reds flop to bolster his defensive options ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
Unfortunately, the transfer has not been a roaring success as the defender is currently out of favour under Clement, after a decent first year in Glasgow.
Ben Davies' Rangers career so far
The 28-year-old titan played in 27 of the club's 38 Scottish Premiership matches during the 2022/23 season under van Bronckhorst and Beale, and showcased his strong defending with a duel success rate of 67%.
Davies, who made one error that led to a shot or goal in the division that term, went on to rack up 38 appearances in all competitions for the Gers, which appeared to be a solid base from which to build the rest of his Light Blues career over the years to come.
However, the English defender has become an outcast this season under Beale and Clement. Speaking on the Rangers Review Morning Briefing (20/03/2024), journalist Chris Jack described him as a "forgotten man" and claimed that he is "dispensable".
The reporter went on to say that the move has not worked out for all parties involved, and that Davies has never "really convinced" on the pitch for the Scottish giants.
He has only made 12 competitive appearances in all competitions for Rangers so far this term, and only four of those have come in the Premiership.
The former Preston star has not done enough to convince the manager that he should be playing over Connor Goldson and John Souttar at centre-back, and has been an unused substitute in his last eight matchday squad appearances.
Ridvan Yilmaz was signed during the same transfer window as Davies but, unlike the centre-back, is currently winning the battle in his position.
How much Rangers paid for Ridvan Yilmaz
The Daily Record reported that the Light Blues splashed out a fee of £3.4m to sign the Turkey international from Besiktas in the summer of 2022.
He endured a difficult first season in Glasgow as the left-back struggled for game time ahead of Croatian dynamo Borna Barisic. Yilmaz totted up 15 appearances in all competitions for the club during the 2022/23 campaign, which included nine outings in the Premiership.
This term, however, the Turkish whiz has emerged as the first-choice option in his position under Beale and Clement, and has played 28 times in all competitions so far.
Appearances
22
Big chances created
6
Assists
1
Duel success rate
56%
Dribble success rate
64%
As you can see in the table above, Yilmaz has been an effective operator down the left flank as he has won the majority of his physical duels and completed his dribble attempts more often than not.
The 22-year-old ace also has a reason to be frustrated with his teammates as they have only scored one goal from the six 'big chances' that he has created for them in the Premiership this term.
Meanwhile, Barisic has only created one 'big chance' in the Scottish top-flight to earn three assists in 15 appearances for the Gers, which suggests that the Croatia international has been more fortunate in the final third.
Overall, though, Yilmaz has emerged as the first-choice left-back for Rangers under Clement and, at the age of 22, he still has plenty more time to develop and improve over the years to come.
Whereas, Davies has become a 'forgotten man' at Ibrox and is an experienced player with little room left to develop at the age of 28, which highlights how much of a howler van Bronckhorst had with the English defender.
Rangers paid more money for the Liverpool flop, who has failed to establish himself as a regular starter, than they did for Yilmaz, who appears to have a bright future ahead of him in Glasgow.