Glasgow Rangers failed to end their run of seasons without winning the Scottish Premiership title as they finished second in the division this term.
They have now gone three years without a league trophy to lift and they may look back on their recruitment last summer as not being good enough to help them oust their rivals in the race for domestic silverware.
Michael Beale made a number of signings in an attempt to bolster his squad but did not have the best of luck, as two of his additions left the club on loan by January – Sam Lammers and Jose Cifuentes.
However, there were some success stories to come out of the window. The signing of Dujon Sterling has, so far, been a fantastic piece of business by the Scottish giants, as his value has soared this season.
Dujon Sterling's impressive first season at Ibrox
The versatile star arrived on a free transfer from Premier League giants Chelsea last summer and arrived as a natural right-back, having made more appearances in that role than any other in his career.
With James Tavernier being the Rangers captain, Sterling may have joined knowing that there was the potential for him to spend a lot of time on the bench behind the skipper in the rotation.
However, the English whiz ended the 2023/24 campaign with 1,780 minutes under his belt across 36 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues.
Appearances
24
Starts
11
Ground duel success rate
50%
Assists
2
Big chances created
2
As you can see in the table above, Sterling made 11 starts in the Premiership, in 24 outings in total, and his versatility was key to his success on the pitch.
The ex-Stoke City loanee, who scored one goal in three Europa League outings, also started all four of his games against Celtic in the Old Firm, which speaks to how much trust the manager has in him.
He played in six different positions for Rangers, including left-back, right-back, right midfield, left midfield, defensive midfield, and right wing, across all competitions, which allowed him to earn appearances and starts in several roles when needed.
Dujon Sterling's soaring market value
Beale struck gold by bringing the 24-year-old star to Ibrox as he has proven himself to be an incredibly useful operator for Philippe Clement, who has trusted him to play in a multitude of positions within his system.
At the time of his free transfer to Glasgow, after his contract with Chelsea expired, FootballTransfers estimated that the young defender's market value was €800k (£680k).
His emergence as a versatile and key performer for the Light Blues under the Belgian head coach, since Beale's departure, has seen his value soar this season.
At the time of writing (30/05/2024), FootballTransfers places Sterling's xTV (Expected Transfer Value) at €2.8m (£2.4m), which means that his value has soared by 250% from the €800k it was sat at last summer, before his move to Ibrox.
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Therefore, Rangers have hit the jackpot with the 24-year-old, who still has plenty of time left to develop and improve, as his value has soared and he has been a valuable figure on the pitch for Clement.
Hopefully, the club can land more players like Sterling and fewer like Lammers and Cifuentes when they come to make signings this summer.