Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement has enjoyed a terrific start to life in Scotland since he replaced Michael Beale in the dugout earlier this season.
The Belgian tactician has already secured his first trophy in charge of the Scottish giants after beating Aberdeen in the League Cup final at Hampden.
He is now gunning to land more pieces of silverware during 2024 and the January transfer window could provide him with a chance to improve his chances of doing so.
The Europa League, the SFA Cup, and the Scottish Premiership are all up for grabs over the next five months and Clement could use the market to add more quality to his group of players.
Fabio Silva has already been brought in on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers until the end of the 2023/24 campaign and the club are reportedly in the market to add a left-back to the squad.
Rangers transfer news – Josh Doig
It was recently reported by Gianluca Di Marzio, via Toro Goal on X, that the Gers are one of a number of teams interested in signing Hellas Verona full-back Josh Doig.
The Light Blues are said to have made contact with the Italian side over a possible deal to bring him to Ibrox before the end of the January transfer window.
However, they are not the only club in the race to land his signature. Torino are said to have opened talks with Hellas Verona to strike an agreement for the Scottish defender, having also been interested in a swoop for the young gem ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Serie A side AC Monza and English Championship outfit Leeds United, along with Rangers, have also made contact to explore a possible deal for the 22-year-old dynamo.
It was reported that Hellas Verona are looking for a fee in the region of €6m (£5.2m) for the talented whiz, and it remains to be seen whether any of the four interested parties are prepared to pay that.
Bringing Doig into Ibrox would allow Clement to finally ditch Borna Barisic, who has been at the club since the summer of 2018 and could be on his way this year.
His current contract with the Light Blues is due to expire at the end of the 2023/24 campaign and this means that he is currently free to speak to any foreign clubs to put pen to paper on a pre-contract ahead of the summer.
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Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb were touted with an interest in the defender back in September but it is unclear as to whether or not that is still there this month.
Signing another left-back would allow the manager to send Barisic on his way this month or to allow him to walk for nothing at the end of the season without worrying about a lack of options in his position.
Borna Barisic's season in numbers
The Croatia international has been a solid performer for the Gers in the Premiership this season and showcased his ability at both ends of the pitch.
Barisic has made 11 top-flight appearances and contributed with two assists and 2.2 key passes per match for the Scottish giants under Beale and Clement combined.
He has also made 2.5 tackles and interceptions combined and has only been dribbled past 0.3 times per match across those 11 outings so far.
These statistics show that Barisic is able to offer creativity down the left flank and rarely allows opposition players to get past him at the other end.
However, the Gers defender has not provided much dynamism out wide in the Europa League. He currently ranks within the bottom 26% of his positional peers in that competition this season for progressive carries (1.00) and the top 31% for successful take-ons (1.00) per 90.
This suggests that the experienced ace does not use his dribbling or pace to go past players and drive his team up the pitch often on the European stage.
At the age of 31, it could be the perfect time for Rangers to part ways with Barisic and inject some fresh, younger, blood into the team.
It would help to further reduce the average age of the squad, which started when the likes of Allan McGregor and Scott Arfield departed over the summer, and provide Clement with more energy and potential in his side.
Why Rangers should sign Doig
The Gers head coach should swoop for Doig as the young dynamo could be a terrific signing for the future who could compete alongside Ridvan Yilmaz moving forward.
At the age of 22, the Scottish ace is an up-and-coming left-back who has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve under Clement's coaching, whereas Barisic is virtually the finished article at 31.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig claimed that the defender has a "high ceiling" last year and described him as one of the biggest U21 revelations in the Serie A.
This suggests that Rangers would be signing a high-potential player who they could develop before possibly selling on for a profit in the future.
In terms of his current ability, Doig ranks within the top 8% of full-backs in the Men's Big Five League and European competitions over the last 365 days for successful take-ons (1.59) and the top 37% for progressive carries (2.30) per 90.
This suggests that the Scottish whiz could provide far more drive and athleticism down the left flank than Barisic, who has only managed 2.0 successful take-ons and progressive carries combined per 90 in the Europa League this term.
Doig has also been a difficult opponent for opposition players in the Serie A this season as he has only been dribbled past 0.4 times per game across ten top-flight outings.
Like Barisic, the Hellas Verona talent does not allow wingers to beat him down the line frequently and this suggests that he could offer similar qualities defensively at left-back.
However, his impressive work as a progressive force down the flank could provide Rangers with more thrust in transition, particularly in Europe and in big games domestically, than the Croatian currently is able to offer.
Therefore, Clement could ditch Barisic, either this month or in the summer, by securing a deal to sign Doig ahead of Leeds and Torino this month.
