Glasgow Rangers had ambitions of winning the Premiership title just a week ago, but after dropping four points in just three days, glory is no longer in their hands.
A 3-2 defeat to Ross County set the tone for the midweek stalemate against Dundee as Philippe Clement’s men have capitulated so close to the end of the campaign.
The lack of leadership from the senior players in the dressing room has been alarming and points towards a summer clear-out once the season is finished, especially as it is the same group of players who fail when the pressure is on.
The Gers were missing a few players through injury in midweek, most notably Ridvan Yilmaz, who has emerged as a key player under Clement.
Yilmaz has not featured since the international break, having suffered an injury whilst on duty with Turkey, and it is no coincidence that the Ibrox side have won just one match since, as the left-back has emerged as a key player in the current setup.
Ridvan Yilmaz’s statistics this season
The 22-year-old took a while to get going during the current campaign, but netting his first goal for the club against Livingston back in September proved to be the catalyst for him to oust Borna Barisic out of the starting XI.
Since the turn of the year, Yilmaz has started 11 matches for the Light Blues and his performances, especially in the Premiership, have been excellent.
Indeed, among his teammates, the Turk currently ranks second behind only Tavernier for big chances created (six) in the top flight, while also ranking third for key passes per game (1.7), first for successful dribbles per game (1.3) and sixth for interceptions per game (0.8), showing how impressive he has been when compared to his peers.
His injury occurred at the worst possible time, while Clement will be hoping he is back sooner rather than later.
How much Ridvan Yilmaz earns a week
Despite his impressive performances of late, Yilmaz ranks way down with regard to the highest earners at the Glasgow side.
He earns £12k-per-week, which is obviously still a staggering amount, yet trails the likes of Cyriel Dessers, Kemar Roofe and Ben Davies, who have all underperformed this season.
Player
Weekly wage
Connor Goldson
£37k-per-week
James Tavernier
£30k-per-week
Ben Davies
£27k-per-week
Cyriel Dessers
£27k-per-week
Danilo
£26k-per-week
His weekly wages are even dwarfed by some of the signings made by former manager Pedro Caixinha during his ill-fated six-month stint in charge of the club in 2017, most notably Eduardo Herrera.
How much Rangers paid to sign Eduardo Herrera
The Portuguese manager was hired in March 2017, becoming just the third overseas manager to take charge of the Light Blues.
During his first transfer window, he signed a total of 11 players, splashing cash on Carlos Pena and Herrera.
The Mexican striker alone cost the club around £1.5m due to the simple fact he had scored 57 goals for UNAM Pumas across the three seasons prior to his move to Scotland.
Herrera was delighted to be moving to such an esteemed club, saying: "I am very happy to become part of this great club that has such great supporters.
"I have been waiting for this move for many years now. I wanted to become part of European football and I hope I will be able to make my own contribution to the team."
On the surface, it looked like a decent enough signing, especially considering the club needed a striker to bolster their squad.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for Herrera in Glasgow as he struggled to cope with the physicality of Scottish football, failing to have the desired impact Caixinha was expecting.
Eduardo Herrera’s Rangers statistics
Two goals and an assist in his first seven matches hardly got the fans excited, but it was a start from which the striker could use as a platform to get better and contribute more going forward.
It didn’t work out that way. Herrera played another 18 times after his goal and assist against Partick Thistle in the League Cup clash in September 2017, failing to add another goal contribution to his meagre tally of three.
Caixinha was sacked in October after a dismal start to the season, and it certainly looked as though Herrera didn’t have a long-term future at the Gers.
Once Steven Gerrard took over in May 2018, Herrera was shipped out on loan to Santos Laguna for the first six months of the following season, before spending a year on loan at Club Necaxa.
He eventually left the club in February 2020, two and a half years after first joining Rangers, making just 24 appearances in all competitions and netting two goals in what turned out to be a truly woeful spell in Scotland.
How much Eduardo Herrera earned per week at Rangers
Following his arrival, not only did he cost £1.5m with regard to a transfer fee, but Herrera also reportedly earned around £20k-per-week in wages.
Adding up his fee and wages during his single season stay in Scotland prior to his loan spells, the Mexican drained the club of £2.6m, which was a staggering amount considering there was no European money coming in, nor incomings from player sales.
Taking his transfer fee into account, the striker cost the Gers £750k per goal – again a sum which beggars belief.
Yilmaz currently earns £8k-per-week less than what Herrera took home during his solitary campaign at the club. It is no wonder the supporters waited so long for success when the finances were being controlled by those at the top.
Fast-forward seven years later and the Light Blues are still splashing cash on players who failed to make an impact. This season, Sam Lammers and Cyriel Dessers are the two who have come under the spotlight more often than not.
Hopefully, Clement can turn around the club’s vision in the transfer market and go for young players who are yet to hit their peak but could potentially earn the club a solid profit in the future.
This appears to be the way forward, and it will earn Rangers plenty of financial rewards in the coming years.
Wage Burners
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