Glasgow Rangers badly needed a summer rebuild and under Michael Beale, they finally got it, albeit it was a year or so too late.
Out went crowd favourites such as Allan McGregor, Scott Arfield and Alfredo Morelos, while Ryan Kent also departed the Ibrox side as it appeared Beale was in no mood for sentimental decisions.
With some of the wage bill freed up, the former QPR boss began his business and by the end of the summer transfer window, had signed a grand total of nine players.
Having opened the 2023/24 season with just four wins across nine games, while failing to qualify for the Champions League group stages and dropping vital points to Celtic, it remains to be seen whether these players can take the club to the next level.
A few players, such as Danilo, Cyriel Dessers, and Jack Butland, arrived at Ibrox having gained plenty of experience in the Netherlands, Italy and England and should become key players for the club as the season progresses.
A couple of the new signings arrive with plenty of potential and clearly see a stint at Rangers as the best place for them to continue their development while hopefully making the Light Blues a major profit in the future.
Dujon Sterling is arguably the main candidate with regard to this, and his value has already risen rapidly since moving north of the border.
How much did Dujon Sterling cost Rangers?
The versatile defender – who can operate on either the right or left-hand side of the defence – joined the Gers for nothing this summer having signed a pre-contract agreement in May and Beale was well aware of his talents as he spent time coaching the player during his stint at Chelsea.
The 43-year-old praised Sterling upon his signing, saying: “I am delighted to welcome Dujon to Rangers, he is an exciting young player who, I’m sure, will be a great addition to our squad.
“He is someone I was aware of from my time at Chelsea, and I have always kept an eye on his career as it has progressed.
“He is a very powerful and strong defender, who has fantastic attacking qualities and I look forward to working with him at Rangers.”
With the Gers looking at bolstering their defence, specifically in the full-back areas, Sterling was clearly looked upon as someone who could offer something different to James Tavernier and Borna Barisic.
How much is Dujon Sterling worth now?
When he joined the club, his value was at a modest €0.8m (£0.7m), yet after only a few months, it has now leapt up to €3.6m (£3m), as per Football Transfers' xTV (expected transfer value) model, and it could perhaps rise even further should he gain more opportunities in the near future.
The 23-year-old spent time out on loan with a few English sides and this experience will hopefully stand him in good stead, giving him the confidence to shine in Glasgow.
Why is Dujon Sterling worth this?
Despite joining Chelsea at a relatively young age and moving through the youth teams, Sterling only made two senior appearances for the club, although he did make the matchday squad on three occasions during their victorious FA Cup campaign during the 2017/18 campaign.
Chelsea U23 boss Adi Viveash praised him back in 2016 when he was just making his way in the academy, saying: “Dujon obviously had a great little 25 minutes again, which is important.
“We are trying to manage his development; he is obviously playing a lot of games at the moment.
“He’s a fantastic talent, but we have to be careful. His desire to score goals is superb. He is really a defender, but he can play in any position I think.”
In total, he played 88 games for the U21, U18 and U19 teams while enjoying periods on loan with Stoke City, Coventry City and Blackpool.
Last season, he made 26 appearances for Stoke in the Championship, and although he doesn’t quite have the raw attacking prowess that Barisic and Tavernier have, he still averaged 0.5 key passes per game and created one big chance while succeeding with 0.7 dribbles per game – a success rate of 55%.
Defensively, he won an impressive 4.5 total duels per game – a 55% success rate – along with making 1.7 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per game. These figures ranked him seventh, sixth and tenth across the whole Stoke squad, decent statistics but hardly breathtaking numbers.
In comparison, he would’ve ranked seventh, first and joint-fifth for the same metrics in the Rangers squad during the 2022/23 campaign, suggesting that he certainly could make a positive impact this season.
Sterling hasn’t been given many chances to showcase his talents so far however, playing just five times in all competitions, starting only twice and one of those was against Celtic.
He was deployed at left-back during the first Old Firm clash of the season due to Barisic being injured and Ridvan Yilmaz still not 100% fit, yet it was clear the occasion was too much for him.
Across his 64-minute spell on the pitch, he did make three interceptions, two tackles and was only dribbled past one, but he only won four out of his nine ground duels and took just 39 touches.
The 23-year-old failed to generate an attacking spark in the manner of Barisic as he didn’t succeed with a single dribble attempt or deliver a cross during the tie.
Sterling is still in the embryonic stages of his Ibrox career and has shown previously that he is a talent that if given some minutes, will gradually get better and better.
Considering his value has risen sharply in just a few short months, it’s evident that he should come good, and it is now on Beale to give him some more opportunities in the starting XI.
Dislodging Tavernier or Barisic will be tough, especially with their talents at bursting forward and creating chances, but if he sharpens up his creativity and attacking skills, Sterling could turn into a solid player for the club.
One that could definitely make the Ibrox side a major profit in the coming years, that’s for sure.
