There are going to be a significant number incomings and outgoings at Rangers this summer - which would have been inevitable regardless of the outcome of the upcoming Scottish Cup final against Old Firm rivals Celtic in just 10 days time.
With their Premiership title hopes now all but over for another year, manager Philippe Clement will have a clearer idea of how he wants his side to look next season and what players in certain positions he requires to bring so much-needed balance to his squad.
The Belgian has spoken at length about the lack of consistency his team have displayed over the course of the campaign, but he will be determined to finish on a high and head into the summer transfer window on the back of another trophy success to add to their League Cup triumph back in December.
Clement has been in the Ibrox hot seat for seven months. In that time, he transformed the Light Blues into genuine title contenders after a rocky start to the campaign under previous boss Michael Beale. Momentum has stalled at a crucial stage, but a cup double would still represent a successful season for the club - something most fans would have bitten your hand off for given the state they found themselves in last October.
Once again, though, it’s Celtic that stand in their way and Clement needs to come up with the right answers if he is to avoid tasting yet another defeat against the Parkhead side.
With that in mind and the cup final being just around the corner, here are 11 burning questions that Clement must answer as he and his injury-ravaged side search for their first derby day win of the season.
1. Have Celtic got Rangers' number in Old Firm derbies?
These questions will be asked of Clement and his players in the lead up to the Scottish Cup final. There is clearly some kind of lingering psychological/mental block that Rangers somehow need to overcome. They have failed to step up in the big moments and fell short again at Celtic Park last weekend. Clement has been in a familiar situation during derby games since he took charge of the club. Hampden presents the last chance to dispel of all that negativity this season.
2. Have Celtic simply got better players?
Celtic have been far from their best under Brendan Rodgers this season. Their recruitment last summer was shoddy but it seems that Rangers will fail to take advantage as they face up to another season without a league title. Celtic have controlled recent derby matches, but more importantly they have had difference makers over the course of the campaign from Callum McGregor to Matt O'Riley and Kyogo Furuhashi, players who can grab a game by the scruff of the neck. Rangers haven't had that and the major disappointment will stem from the position they had put themselves in since Clement took over from Michael Beale. They haven't manage to handle high-pressured situations and let their rivals back into the title race.
3. Time to identify and rectify glaring deficiencies
With so much on the line heading into last week's derby against Celtic, Rangers failed to muster more than one effort on target in the entire contest. That tells you everything you need to know. Clement must bare the brunt of the blame for that even if he is of the lasered mindset that a major squad rebuilt in required. He is still working with the players he inherited from Beale and while he deserves credit for squeezing out marginal improvement from those at his disposal, there has been no real sign of any defined style to the way he wants his team to go about their business. Another defeat to Celtic in the cup final could leave him with some serious explaining to do.
4. Is Clement capable of putting his own stamp on the team?
The Belgian will be given his first real opportunity to recruit his own players when the summer transfer window opens next month but if he fails to prove that his new-look side can play with more of a swagger and panache rather than lumping the ball long then questions over his future will undoubtedly surface. Clement has placed a lot of faith in certain players this season, namely John Lundstram, Cyriel Dessers and Fabio Silva. That is perhaps due to a shortage of options in certain areas due to injuries but why has he placed so little faith in the likes of Nicolas Raskin - a player many supporters thought he would look to build his team around - and Todd Cantwell, who has rarely completed a full 90 minutes this season. Will that theme continue heading into next season?