Rangers manager lauds Ibrox board after Jack Butland bid is rebuffed

Clement, who revealed that he was not even made aware of the offer, is pleased that he has been able to retain the services of the former England internationalist. 

READ MORE: Rangers manager admits his pain at his Europa League squad omissions

“Everybody in the club, including the board, has worked really hard and been really creative to bring talented players into the building without spending much money,” he said.  

“The reality was most of the budget was spent in the summer and we knew that entering the window.

“It’s true that the club had to be strong when there were offers for players for good numbers, but you can’t on one side be ambitious and on the other sell players and not have at least the same quality coming in.

“It’s another situation in the summer when you have more time to work with and you can prepare for the interest that is coming in a market which is much longer.”

Clement added: “In general there were players who could have went somewhere else and made a new step to interesting competitions and teams, but they wanted to stay.

“I think it’s also a big evolution for sure, compared to three months ago. 

“They feel they are in a good story and can do something special together, so in that regard, I am really happy about this January. 

“Sometimes players use every emotional reason why they want to go, but it was the opposite because despite a few offers, the players said they wanted to stay at Rangers.”

Rangers completed three signings during the window, with Oscar Cortes arriving on loan from RC Lens until the end of the season on deadline day. 

The Ibrox winger have the option to buy the 20-year-old winger on a permanent transfer when his loan deal expires. 

Clement expressed excitement at agreeing a deal to bring the Columbian to the club. 

READ MORE: Rangers defender on reasons for Cyriel Dessers' remarkable revival

“He’s somebody with a lot of quality with a big future if he makes good steps and he learns the right things,” he said.

“He had his first experience in Europe with Lens, which wasn’t the easiest. I know that with Lens, there's a lot of competition and a different playing style to what he was used to. 

“He is naturally a winger and they play a system without wingers, so it's not easy to perform in a different position that you are not used to.”

The 49-year-old had positive experiences with Columbian footballers at both Club Brugge and Genk – but he admitted that Cortes will need time to adapt to life in Scotland. 

“Carlos Bacca and Jose Izquierdo were at Brugge when I was assistant and they got transfers afterwards to the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga,” he said. “I had Jhon Lucumi at Genk as a young player. 

“He was 18 or 19 years old when he arrived as a centre-back and he also made the right steps because all three of them worked hard. 

“What’s important to remember is the culture shock, so you need to take that into account and every individual is different in that way. 

“Some need more time and some adapt fast, like Izquierdo and Bacca, but with Carlos, I remember Christoph Daum, who was coach at the time with Brugge, after two months he went to the scouting team, complaining that he was poor and that he could not imagine why he was signed.

“However, four months later, he was the best player in the team and a year later he was their top scorer. He needed time to adapt, so I will be really curious with Oscar and how fast his adaptation goes towards Europe.

“It's our job, as a club, me as a manager and my staff as well as everybody around to help him, so we're going to put a lot of attention into that alongside matters on the field.”