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Medical Scheduled: Rangers see their bid accepted for Dessers’ dream replacement at Ibrox – opinion

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5 months ago

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Rangers might be getting close to signing another player this summer…

Glasgow Rangers have already started getting ready for next season by signing two players, Jefte and Oscar Cortes. In the next few weeks, they will add more players.

It looks like Philippe Clement is getting close to signing a new striker, which is good news for his transfer plans.

Rangers are almost done making a deal for a new striker.

Reports from the Daily Record say that the Light Blues have agreed to pay €2m (£1.7m) to sign Moroccan star Hamza Igamane, who plays for AS Far in his home country.

The report says that the player is now waiting for a medical exam so that the deal can be finalised.

It’s not just this centre forward that Clement wants to bring to Ibrox this summer. Albion Rrahmani has been linked with a £6 million move from FC Rapid Bucharest, and it’s clear that the Belgian manager wants to add more attackers to his team.

As of last month, Kemar Roofe’s contract expired, and Fabio Silva and Abdallah Sima both went back to their parent clubs after the end of their loan spells. This left Clement with few options up front.

Before next season, he still has Cyriel Dessers and Danilo to call on, but could a few more new players come in and hurt the Nigerian center-forward after a rough start in Glasgow?

Dessers’ first season in the numbers

It would normally be seen as a success to move to a new country and score 22 goals in your first season with a club across all competitions.

As a result, Dessers helped set up nine goals in 54 games for the Light Blues last season, which is a very good rate of goal contributions per game (1.74 runs).

In spite of this, Dessers missed a lot more chances than he scored, and it would sometimes take him three or four tries to finally score in a game.

This 29-year-old may have scored 16 goals in 35 Premiership games, but he also missed an amazing 27 great chances during those games. The striker would have scored almost 30 goals in a league season even if he had only scored half of those.

On top of that, Dessers only managed 1.4 shots on goal and 0.4 dribble attempts per game, making him look like the only centre forward on the team.

Supporters criticised him in October after he went a while without scoring, but he seemed calm and ready to score. “At a certain point, it got under my skin, and it affects your confidence a little bit,” he said.

“Luckily, I’ve been through this before in my career, so I know what I’m good at and what I can do. I’ll show them this season.”

His effort was great; he gave it his all every time he played. But if Clement really wants Celtic to be in the running for the title next year, he needs to find strikers who won’t miss more than 25 big chances in a league season.

Igamane may not be well known in the UK, but he could be just the player Rangers need to make things interesting up top.

The numbers for Hamza Igamane’s season

The young player played 23 times for his team in the 2023–24 season, scoring seven goals and setting up six others. He showed how good he was at both scoring goals and creating chances for his teammates.

Fans might be a little worried about his 12% shot conversion rate, but it’s clear that this player would only get better by playing with better players, so a move to Ibrox would be good for his growth.

Igamane took an average of 2.9 shots per game for AS FAR in the league last season. He also made 1.9 dribbles per game, which is a 64% success rate, and won an impressive 6.7 duels per game, which shows that he was good at one-on-one battles on the ground and in the air.

Defenders had a terrible time with him because he was fouled an average of 1.1 times per game. This shows how dangerous he is in the final third, and he could be Clement’s wildcard option.

The Belgian is clearly trying something new during the summer transfer window. He is focusing on signing younger players to build a team that will improve over time and hopefully make him a lot of money in the future.

Igamane definitely fits the bill, and his recent rise has been noticed, especially by the CIES Football Observatory. They ranked the best U23 centre forwards based on how well they did over the last year, and Igamane is currently in seventh place.

It may not seem very interesting, but it is interesting to see who he plays with. Players like Benjamin Sesko, Nicolas Jackson, Gonçalo Ramos, and Kenan Yildiz have all exploded onto the scene and made huge moves in the last few years, and they are all higher on the list than the Moroccan striker.

Scout Beth Limb called Igamane “one to watch” earlier this year. There’s no doubt that he could be a player for the future.

It looks like Clement and his staff made a great decision when they signed the 21-year-old for £1.7 million, especially since he has a lot of room to grow in the coming years.

The club has made the mistake of taking the easy way out too many times in the past, spending a lot of money on players who were only coming to Glasgow for one last payday.

It’s time for a new plan, and the 50-year-old strategist looks like he or she is making one this summer. We won’t know anything until the season starts and the club has signed all of their players.

It might be risky to go after unknown names, but Clement might find some gold in his search, which would help them make more money.

Could it be the end for Dessers if people like Igamane and Rrahmani come to Scotland? Since the Nigerian international is 29 years old, Clement should definitely look at a good offer for him so that he can use the money to make more signings.

After the latest arrival at Ibrox, Rangers were accused of copying Celtic’s transfer strategy

Hugh Keevins said that Rangers copied Celtic’s way of making transfers as Philippe Clement tries to rebuild the team at Ibrox.

Clement and Nils Koppen have to look for “moderately priced” prospects on the transfer market because the Gers don’t have enough money to buy any star players.

The fact that they signed Clinton Nsiala, 20, from AC Milan shows this. Even though he looks like a fun defender, he has never played for the Serie A team’s first team.

Keevins has said, however, that the loan deal for Oscar Cortes is different. The transfer does come with its own risks, as Rangers will have to pay £4.5 million to make the move permanent at the end of the season.

In a piece for the Daily Record on June 16, he said, “Ibrox seems to be following a pattern for this transfer window.” It could also be called Philippe Clement, the manager of the Rangers, playing a risky game.

“So far, all of the players he’s signed have been around average prices and can be called projects rather than automatic first-team picks.” To put it another way, it looks a lot like the Celtic model of late, where you buy low and plan to sell high later on.

“Except that Celtic are in the process of getting rid of a bunch of young players they signed to help them improve who were badly lacking almost as soon as they got to Glasgow.”

When it comes to risk, Oscar Cortes is the only person at Ibrox who doesn’t follow the rules. At the end of the season, Rangers will have to pay Lens £4.5 million, no matter how well he does or how badly he does.

Is it risky for Rangers to sign Oscar Cortes this summer?

The Gers will have to spend £4.5 million on the Lens winger next summer to make the deal permanent. It will be one of the club’s most expensive purchases in recent years.

Even though he only played in seven games for the Gers before getting hurt, the club saw just enough to know that he is worth every penny going forward.

The players Rangers wants to buy this summer need to be very smart, especially if they want to compete with Celtic for the Scottish Premiership title next season.

But because of Scotland’s small budgets, it is not fair to say that Rangers copied someone else’s transfer strategy; that is Celtic’s claim.

It makes a lot of sense to buy and loan players with a lot of potential, like Nsiala from AC Milan, to lower risk for small fees.

Philippe Clement will be keen for Rangers to continue spending this summer

The French centre back will need to be cared for by Clement next season. He can learn from players like Leon Balogun, whose contract at Ibrox has been extended.

Rangers will know that every transfer comes with some risk. But Clement and Koppen are going to make a lot of changes this summer. A new era is about to start under the Belgian.

Rangers make a choice as a “big” Saudi offer comes in, according to sources

Rangers don’t want James Tavernier to leave Ibrox this summer, but a “big” offer might make them change their minds.

On the most recent episode of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke said that the club might sell their captain this summer because of strong interest from Saudi Arabian clubs.

Several sources say that Steven Gerrard wants to work with the 32-year-old at Al-Ettifaq because they worked together before at Ibrox.

But because he is part of the Rangers team and makes a difference on the pitch, any offer would have to be too good to turn down.

New information about James Tavernier’s departure from Rangers at Ibrox

Alan Hutton, a former defender for Gers, told Football Insider that Rangers could accept a £10 million offer to sign Tavernier because the club is looking to the future.

Due to his attacking skills, Dujon Sterling is the natural choice to replace the right back. Any change in his position would be like-for-like.

However, Rangers don’t want to lose Tavernier’s help because he scored 24 goals and set up 12 others in 58 games last season.

The right back has been a mainstay in the first team since he arrived at Ibrox in 2015. He has won an SPFL title, a Scottish League Cup, and a Scottish Cup.

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He also scored 125 goals for Rangers since joining the team, setting up 129 others. Last season, he scored more goals than any other British defender in history.

But a lot of Ibrox fans also think the club should go in a different direction. They want their captain to be sold because Saudi Arabia is interested.

Steven Gerrard officially joins Al-Ettifaq, completing his return to Rangers

Andy Firth has joined Al-Ettifaq as an assistant goalkeeping coach, which means Steven Gerrard will be playing with Andy Firth again.

The former Ibrox goalkeeper was hired by the Saudi Pro League club on Saturday night as an assistant goalkeeping coach. This came after John Achenbeisg was named head coach for the goalkeepers.

Firth, who is 27 years old, worked for Gerrard at Rangers and knew the manager from when he was at Liverpool.

Firth left Rangers and signed with the Welsh team Connah’s Quay Nomads. He played 32 times for them last season.

However, it looks like Firth will become a full-time coach after the surprise announcement that he would be working in the back office in Saudi Arabia.

“Andy Firth, assistant goalkeeping coach,” said the post on X, which used to be Twitter, confirming the news.

“Welcome to the Nawakhatha Brigade.”

Before moving to Al-Ettifaq, Firth had one job as a coach in the Liverpool academy and another as a player at Connah’s Quay.

Rangers offered the custodian a similar job as a coach when he was leaving the club in 2022, but he chose not to stay in Glasgow.

During his three years at Ibrox, Firth only played seven minutes for Rangers.

Responding to the new players signed by Rangers, Chris Sutton sends a message to Celtic after the deals are done at Ibrox

Chris Sutton says that Rangers have “gotten the ball rolling” with their early summer transfer business because Celtic, who play in the same league, might stay put.

In the print edition of The Daily Record (June 15, page 55), Sutton praised the Gers’ early summer business. He also said that changes at Ibrox shouldn’t make people at Celtic Park panic.

Three new players have been signed by Philippe Clement’s team so far this summer. Sutton said that, unlike Celtic, the light blues are rebuilding this summer.

“Rangers have already gotten things going with new signings,” Sutton said. “But I don’t think Celtic should worry too much about what’s going on in the city.”

“Rangers needs to be completely rebuilt. Celtic doesn’t have as much work to do, but that doesn’t mean they can wait.”

Rangers are moving quickly to rebuild during the summer transfer window.

Three signings made before the transfer window officially opened is a good start for Clement. It sets up a crucial pre-season that will help the new players get used to their new surroundings as quickly as possible.

One of these faces is familiar: Oscar Cortes, a wide receiver from Colombia, is back with the club on loan. He will make the move permanent next summer [Daily Record].

He joins Jefte and Clinton Nsiala as new defenders at Ibrox. The £680,000 they cost together shows that the Gers are trying to be as smart with their money as possible this window. [Daily Record].

The club could spend up to £6 million on a new center-back because Clement wants to improve his team’s defence. The return of Cortes [Sky Sports Austria] also shows that much-needed attention is being paid to the wide areas.

Rangers’ summer goal is simple: put together a team that can compete on all fronts. If the fast-paced business keeps up, Clement could make Sutton even more worried that Celtic are just sitting on their hands.

Clinton Nsiala leaves his club very upset after signing with Rangers, and a big-money transfer is being talked about

Mark Negri says that AC Milan was “very upset” that Clinton Nsiala didn’t sign a new contract and instead chose to move to Rangers.

The middle back who used to play for Ibrox told the Daily Record on June 12 that the young centre back “could turn out to be a great signing” if he can get used to the fact that his next club is “not a normal club.”

The 20-year-old Frenchman Nsiala is joining the Light Blues on a free transfer after signing a pre-contract agreement. He hasn’t played senior football yet, so he’s still seen as a project, but Negri says he could make the club a lot of money in the future like former Gers star Calvin Bassey did.

“He’s a centre back with a very good, modern profile,” the Italian said. Very, very aggressive, has a good left foot, and is at ease with the ball. But he’s still very young and has only played football with the Under-19s, which is not at all like playing for the first team.

“Of course he needs to get better.” Phil Clement may speak some French because he worked with Monaco. Hopefully, that means that language won’t get in the way of his work with Clinton. You have to be patient with this player though and wait for him to learn. There’s a lot to do…

“Everyone at Ibrox hopes that Clinton ends up in the same place as Bassey. We all know that Rangers wants to buy a player like this for a low price, help him get better, and do well at the club. If a bigger club with more money comes along, they can sell him and use the money to buy another player.

“So it’s worth taking a chance when you can get a player like Clinton for free.” Rangers did a good job of getting to him first, though. Nsiala was being looked at by other Italian clubs, so he’s a player that people want to see.

“Everyone in Italy knows what a great player he can be.” Milan’s board was very angry that he didn’t sign a new deal. Rangers are going after things that will help them in the long run, and he is definitely a player for that.

Calvin Bassey was sold by Rangers to Ajax for more than £19 million.

Nsiala will need time to improve if he hasn’t already made a name for himself in senior football, but he must be good if several clubs, including his old team, want to sign him this summer.

From that point of view, it looks like Rangers pulled off a major coup by signing him. Also, the defence in Glasgow has been shaky at times, so an aggressive player who can also play well with the ball is probably just what they need.

Not until Clement has had time to work with the new player during preseason will it be clear when and how much the new player will improve the Gers’ back line.

But if Nsiala can play like Bassey, who is now a defender for Fulham, he will be a big success in Scotland.

rangers

Clinton Nsiala could follow a similar path as Calvin Bassey if all goes to plan at Rangers

The Nigerian player came to the club from Leicester City for just £230,000 two years ago. He was then sold to Ajax for more than £19 million because of how well he played in the Europa League final [Sky Sports].

This summer, Clement is clearly focusing on young players. Nsiala, Jefte, and the returning Oscar Cortes are all just 20 years old. This trend looks set to continue now that the Gers are leading the race to sign Connor Barron, 21, from Aberdeen [Scottish Sun, 12 June].

“Does My Nut”—Expert slams Rangers star who “Riles” people for being linked to divorce

Derek Ferguson has said that Todd Cantwell’s tendency to get into trouble “just does my nut in at times,” even though Cantwell is a good player for Rangers.

Since he had a bad season at Ibrox, the attacking midfielder’s future at the club is uncertain as the transfer window opens.

According to Chris Jack [Rangers Review, 28 May], the “jury is out” on the former Norwich player. Now, Peter Grant [Go Radio, 5 June] has suggested that the player could leave on loan in the summer.

In the print edition of the Scottish Mail on Sunday on May 26 (pages 98 and 99), Gary Keown even said the English player should be sold this summer, even though he played well in the Scottish Cup final loss to Celtic.

Ferguson likes a lot about Cantwell’s game, but he gets angry when he gets involved in “verbals” with other players, like Chris Sutton, who used to play for Norwich and is against him.

He only told Ibrox News, “I like Todd Cantwell as a football player. There’s a lot to like about how enthusiastic he is and how good he can be with the ball at times.”

However, the fact that he wants to argue with other players too much drives me crazy at times.

Say what you want with your feet. He just gets too busy with too many things. He also spends too much time on social media, posting things and making statements.

“It makes boys mad.” I like guys who don’t talk much on social media and instead hang out in the park.

Could Todd Cantwell play for the Rangers again under Philippe Clement?

When Michael Beale took over, Cantwell became a star almost right away. But under Clement, he has never seemed to reach the same level of fame.

After the Belgian replaced him in the first half early in his reign, their relationship was said to be “close to breaking point” [Daily Record, 4 December].

Even though things seemed to be getting better as the season went on, Cantwell was often left on the bench in favour of Tom Lawrence, even though neither player played great, so if a good offer came in this summer, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Rangers took it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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