Glasgow Rangers made the decision to change their head coach at the start of October as English tactician Michael Beale was sent on his way.
The former Gers assistant, who previously worked under Steven Gerrard at Ibrox, failed to win a single trophy during his time as the main man in charge.
He lost three of his opening seven Scottish Premiership matches at the start of this season and that was enough for the board to take action, after the manager had been allowed to make nine signings during the summer transfer window.
Jack Butland, Kieran Dowell, Jose Cifuentes, Leon Balogun, Dujon Sterling, Danilo, Cyriel Dessers, and Sam Lammers were all brought in on permanent deals, along with Abdallah Sima on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion.
However, a number of those players have not hit the ground running in Scottish football and new head coach Philippe Clement, who was brought in to replace Beale, must deal with the aftermath of that window.
The Belgian boss will be hoping for better luck with his own transfers at Ibrox and is set to receive help from Nils Koppen, who is poised to arrive from PSV as the club's new director of football recruitment in January.
At the time of the announcement, the 38-year-old told Rangers' official website that the board have made it clear to him that the player trading model "has to function better", and the January window is his first opportunity to make an impact on the squad.
Rangers transfer news – Darius Olaru
He will have to strike a balance between moving the right players on and bringing the right ones in to replace them and, with this in mind, Koppen could land a first blinder at Ibrox by reigniting the club's interest in Darius Olaru.
It was reported during the summer that the Gers had the FCSB star on their radar for 'some time' as they wanted a left-footed midfielder who could bolster their attacking options.
The creative maestro has a release clause in his contract with the Romanian side that allows him to depart if a club comes in with an offer of €5m (£4.3m) and their president – Mihai Stoica – stated that he would not accept a penny below that figure.
The report, however, added that Rangers opted against a move for Olaru as they were able to sign left-footed midfielder Dowell on a free transfer from Norwich City instead.
That move has not worked out for the Light Blues, though, and it was recently stated by Heart & Hand podcaster David Edgar that the English whiz is one of the three players, alongside Dessers and Ridvan Yilmaz, who have been told that they need to find a new club.
Of course, there is no guarantee that Rangers will be able to find a buyer for Dowell but his exit could open the door for Koppen to secure his first masterclass by selling the ex-Everton prospect to free up the space for a swoop for Olaru.
Dowell's season in numbers
The 26-year-old flop has endured a difficult first half of the season as he struggled for minutes at the start of the campaign before suffering from injury issues.
Dowell came in from Norwich and featured in six matchday squads throughout August. However, Beale only handed him a start in two of those games.
The English gem did show a glimpse of what he could be capable of with a terrific cameo against Livingston in the Premiership as the left-footed talent came off the bench to rifle a fantastic finish into the far corner.
However, that is the only goal contribution the former Canaries star, who has not created a single chance for his teammates in three league outings, has made at the top end of the pitch in seven clashes for Rangers this season.
Beale claimed that Dowell, who suffered a knock at the end of August, was set to return from injury at the end of September but his next appearance came on the 1st of November and he has not played any matches for the first-team since then.
Minutes played
Eight
Sofascore rating
6.4
Touches
Three
Duel success rate
0%
Cross success rate
0%
Passes completed
Zero
Dowell's last senior appearance for Rangers (via Sofascore)
Clement has not provided a recent update on the attacking midfielder's fitness and it, therefore, remains to be seen when he will next be available for selection.
Koppen must now ruthlessly ditch Dowell, who has already been told that he can leave, upon his arrival at the start of next month and replace him with Olaru, who would come in as an upgrade.
The statistics that show Olaru would be an upgrade on Dowell
The 25-year-old magician's impressive statistics for FCSB since the start of last season suggest that he would come in and offer far more to the team.
For starters, the Romania international has also missed three matches – due to a head injury – over the last 18 months and this shows that he could be significantly more reliable than Dowell in terms of his fitness and availability.
Olaru has played 54 league matches since the start of the 2022/23 campaign – whereas the current Rangers man has managed 26 – for the Gers and Norwich combined – in that time.
The left-footed wizard has contributed with seven goals, ten 'big chances' created, and 2.1 key passes per match in 17 Superliga appearances for his club so far this season.
Last term, the £4.3m-rated sensation scored one goal, provided seven assists, created 19 'big chances', and made 2.2 key passes per clash across 37 league outings.
This means that Olaru has racked up eight goals and 29 'big chances' created since the start of last season for FCSB. Whereas, Dowell has scored six goals and created six 'big chances' in that time.
The talented whiz was once hailed as an "inexhaustible" playmaker by Alex Scout on X, who focuses on Romanian prospects, and the statistics back that up.
He is able to create huge opportunities for his teammates on a regular basis and has the quality to chip in with goals of his own, whilst remaining fit and available for selection.
Therefore, Olaru could be a fantastic signing by Koppen to bolster Clement's midfield options as a big upgrade on Dowell, whose time in Glasgow has been disappointing so far.
