Exeter City: Gary Caldwell must not miss out on Rangers transfer opportunity this month | OneFootball

Johnly Yfeko has been excellent for Exeter City this year and if there's a way they can sign him from Rangers this month it should be taken.

As Saturdays go it was a pretty good one for Exeter City last weekend.

Not only did a 3-1 over Oxford United of the Championship secure the Grecians' spot in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup for the first time in 44 years and an exciting home tie against Nottingham Forest, but a popular man returned to the starting line-up and looked as good as ever.

It was great to see Johnny Yfeko back in action at St James Park and he played the hits with a booming challenge and some nice play on the ball on the left of a back three.

The Rangers defender is halfway through a season-long loan at St James Park and City have an option to buy the towering 21-year-old Londoner in what could be a club-record deal.

It's fair to say that he's settled in well and has put in some very good displays to date.

It's no surprise that City's performances and results have dropped off a bit since he picked up a hamstring injury which kept him out of Gary Caldwell's starting XI since October 22nd.

Exeter City have struggled since Johnny Yfeko's injury

Exeter have won just three League One games in that time and that early-season defensive strength is long gone.

But with Yfeko playing 45 minutes on Saturday it may begin to return and Caldwell confirmed after the game that his withdrawal at half-time was nothing to worry about.

"It was planned, we planned for 45 or 60 [minutes]," Caldwell explained to the club's media team. "He’s obviously coming back from an injury and we thought it was a good opportunity to start him in the game.

"I thought he was excellent but he tired probably, a little bit, from 30 minutes onwards, so Ed Francis knew at half time he was coming on the pitch."

City's manager has already said he wants that clause in Yfeko's deal to be triggered as quickly as possible and, perhaps with an FA Cup windfall, that may come this month.

It doesn't feel like that will be the case but if there's a sniff of doing the deal as soon as possible it's one that the Grecians should grab with both hands.

Before Yfeko picked up his hamstring injury City's manager made it absolutely clear he wanted to sign the left footed defender permanently.

Exeter City should wrap up Rangers deal ASAP

“Johnly is a young player with a huge future and if we could tie him down to be a permanent player at this club, then I think it would be a brilliant thing to do,” he told Devon Live.

“Those discussions will happen and hopefully, that will be a thing where we can bring him into the club on a permanent basis because he is a brilliant player and a player with a huge future.

“We have things in place where, if he does do well, then we will be the team that can bring him in on a permanent.

“That is in place within the contract, but those discussions will obviously take place with [Director Of Football] Marcus [Flitcroft] and the club, but he is definitely a player we want to keep for a long time at this club because of the quality he has now and also the potential he has.

“We are delighted to have him, he is great to work with and always willing to learn and wanting to get better. Hopefully, he can do that this season and maybe beyond.”

There hasn't been much in the way of incoming rumours at St James Park this month but, with murmurs of interest in young duo Ed James and Jake Richards, Caldwell's budget could suddenly be boosted if either was to leave.

As well as bringing in a forward, if there is some surplus to spend on the playing squad, making Yfeko's loan permanent should be top of Caldwell's priorities if a deal can be done in the next couple of weeks.