Rangers

Rangers have rejected two bids worth to be a total of £23 million for recent summer signings Djeidi Gassama and Youssef Chermiti. Rangers have made it clear that both Djeidi Gassama and Youssef Chermiti are not up for sale this January, as they look to outrun Hearts and Celtic to the title come May. Chermiti, who was purchased for £8 million by ex-Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell, was potentially on his way to Turkey as giants Fenerbahçe laid down a deal worth to be worth £13 million for the Portuguese striker. The Gers striker has struggled at times so far this season, and with lots of criticism from support earlier on in the season, it looked like it may be a no brainer to accept the deal placed by Fenerbahçe. But with two goals at Celtic Park recently, he looks to have gained some sort of confidence and has made himself Danny Rohl’s first choice number nine. For Djeidi Gassama, he came to Scotland in a deal worth around £2.5 million and with relatively high expectations from a struggling Sheffield Wednesday side. With a great start in Champions League Qualifiers, achieving four goals in six games, the Frenchman’s domestic stats haven’t been as pleasing to the eye. Five goal contributions in 23 games in the league and with many inconsistent performances, some Rangers supporters would have taken the £10 million deal from Monaco in a heartbeat. However, on his day with confidence, Gassama can be a very exciting player to watch, and with Rangers on a roll at the moment, would it have resulted in being a bad decision to get rid of him? That’s not the only speculation in the last 24 hours, recent reports suggest Emmanuel Fernandez is being watched by top scouts across Europe, both Bayern Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund scouts are keeping a close eye on the 6’4 defender who has been progressing game after game for Rangers. It shows how deep Rangers are in this title race, and with Rohl adamant on keeping his difference making players, can Rangers go on to win this thrilling title race?

Rangers have received a bid for Danilo worth €2 million from Champions League side Pafos Danilo’s future at Rangers looks like it could be over as he is heavily linked with a move away from the club. Original interest from Dutch side NEC Nijmegen looks to be overruled, as recent reports suggest that the Brazilian could be on his way to Cyprus. Earlier on this afternoon, Pafos FC submitted a €2 million bid for the Gers striker, as they are interested in Danilo joining the Brazilian superstar, David Luiz. Danilo, who is still contracted at Rangers until 2028, has had a tough time at Ibrox with major injuries being a key factor. And with only three goals to his name in the league and two strikers in front of him in terms of team selection, a move away could offer Danilo the chance to rebuild the confidence that earned him a €6 million move to Ibrox in the summer of 2023. With Danilo’s departure imminent, Rangers are eyeing up his replacement already, German striker Ryan Naderi looks like the one that could be filling Danilo’s shoes. The 22-year-old has 13 goal contributions in 17 matches in the third division of Germany, and is reported to be very eager to join Rohl’s squad who are deep in the race to lift the Scottish Premiership come May.

Rangers defeated Aberdeen 2-0 at Pittodrie yesterday, thanks to goals from Thelo Aasgaard and James Tavernier. However, in Rangers’ last meeting with Aberdeen before yesterday, they also defeated the Dons two goals to nothing; these goals came from well-worked set-piece moments, and Scott Fry’s work on the training ground is really paying off. A well-delivered corner from ex-Aberdeen star Connor Barron saw 6 ft 4 defender, Emmanuel Fernandez, rise to score his fifth of the season and give Rangers the lead. Shortly after, another well-crossed ball from Barron saw Nico Raskin, who is one of the smaller Rangers players, make a darting run across the box to head home and give the hosts a 2-0 advantage. The same applied for Rangers again yesterday, with their first goal coming from another well-worked play from a corner, which Jayden Meghoma delivered beautifully to see Norwegian international Thelo Aasgaard lurking in a dangerous position and slotting home confidently. Unfortunately for the Gers, Fernandez thought he had doubled the scoring after heading home a long ball, but after a VAR check, referee David Dickinson disallowed the goal for a foul on Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov. During Rohl’s press conference after the first meeting with Aberdeen, he spoke about how much of a difference Scott Fry has made. ‘Scott is doing a fantastic job, and that is the reason why he is here. We made a good choice. It is not just about the topics and the content; he is also a good human and a good addition to my coaching team. I am very happy.’ ‘You also see the players; we worked a lot on these things, and especially in these tight games, you need this. On the weekend, we scored three times after transition moments and good pressing moments. Today it was after set plays, and maybe next time in ball possession’. Fry joined the club from Lincoln City and played a vital role in their incredible 30 goals from set-plays, which was the most in the league. This has contrasted with this Rangers side, who haven’t been scoring as many goals from set-pieces compared to recent years. It has also been noted that there has been a variety of different takers from these plays; instead of always being the same output in James Tavernier, this includes Jayden Meghoma and Connor Barron before his injury. Now in modern football, set-piece coaches are massive figures and can provide the small margins that can decide matches and league titles. For example, Arsenal have made set-pieces a major weapon under Mikel Arteta, with them being one of the most dangerous in England. This can make a real difference in the race for a title. However, at Rangers, it is clear to see there is more structure in their dead-ball situations with the squad regularly creating good quality chances, and with the height they have in the team now, are Rangers now a threat from set plays?