Philippe Clement’s Glasgow Rangers are yet to make their first signing of the January transfer window after it opened for business in the middle of last week.
The Light Blues head coach was in charge for the winter window last year and worked with Nils Koppen to bring three new players to Ibrox to bolster the squad.
Fabio Silva, Mohamed Diomande, and Oscar Cortes all arrived on short-term loan deals in an attempt to improve the squad for the second half of the season, and they contributed to the Gers getting to the final of the SFA Cup.
The Gers were beaten by Celtic on penalties in the League Cup and are already trailing behind their rivals in the Scottish Premiership, which means that they made need additions to fight for the SFA Cup and the Europa League to avoid ending the season trophyless.
Clement may want to make one or two signings to give his team a lift, as they did with Diomande, Silva, and Cortes last year, before doing more work in the summer window.
One player who has been like a new signing for Rangers is attacking midfielder Ianis Hagi, who returned to the group after starting the campaign in the cold due to a contractual issue.
Ianis Hagi's form this season
The Romania international produced yet another impressive attacking display for the Light Blues in their 3-3 draw with Motherwell in the Premiership at Easter Road on Sunday, although he gave away a soft penalty in the second half.
It took just four minutes for the dynamic playmaker to have an impact on the match, with his cross from the left flank fired in by Hamza Igamane to put Rangers 1-0 up in the match.
Hagi made sure that he followed up on his superb showing in the 3-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox in the previous match. The midfield star opened the scoring in that match with a fantastic left-footed drive into the bottom corner from distance early on.
He has returned to the squad to provide a fantastic creative presence in the attacking midfield roles, whilst being able to play as the number ten or the left winger in Clement’s formation – offering tactical flexibility as well as technical quality.
Appearances
10
Starts
7
Goals
1
Big chances created
4
Assists
4
As you can see in the table above, Hagi has already racked up four ‘big chances’ created and four assists in just seven league starts for the Light Blues this season, which shows that he has offered consistent creativity.
The 26-year-old whiz has also won 56% of his duels in the Premiership and this shows that the attacker has held his own in physical contests, rather than being a lightweight out of possession.
Rangers could, now, land a dream signing to play alongside him at the top end of the pitch by dipping into the market to land one of the club’s reported targets.
Rangers' interest in new forward
South African news outlet SNL24, via the Scottish Sun, reported last month that Rangers are interested in signing centre-forward Iqraam Rayners, who currently plays for Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa.
The report claimed that the Gers have already made an enquiry about a potential deal to bring the experienced attacker to Ibrox ahead of the second half of the season.
It revealed that the Scottish giants are yet to make a formal offer to test his club’s resolve, but they are keeping tabs on his current situation with the view to a swoop for his signature.
The outlet did not reveal, however, how much Mamelodi Sundowns would ask for to allow their star player to depart during the January transfer window, so it is unclear as to how much money Rangers will have to spend if they want to add him to their squad.
Cyriel Dessers has been linked with a move to Saint-Etienne in recent weeks and Rayner could come in as a replacement for the Nigeria international, should he move on from Glasgow before the end of the window.
Why Rangers should sign Iqraam Rayners
The Scottish giants should move to bring the 29-year-old striker in to replace Dessers, if he leaves, because an experienced player could be a sensible addition in that position.
Danilo, 25, and Hamza Igamane, 22, are closer to youthful than experienced and having an older head in that area of the pitch could be important to their development, as they could learn from him in training and in matches.
It would also provide Clement with a streetwise forward who could be brought on at the end of matches to see them out, as Rayners has been around the block and knows what is needed to see out games.
His form for his current club also suggests that he could be a dream for Hagi to play with, as the South African star, who was described as “impressive” by journalist Joshua Hendricks, has been prolific in recent years.
Before his move to Sundowns in the summer of 2024, Rayners produced 38 goals and 18 assists in 81 appearances in all competitions for the South African top-flight outfit Stellenbosch FC.
Appearances
10
Goals
6
Big chances missed
1
Conversion rate
40%
Assists
1
As you can see in the table above, the 29-year-old star has been incredibly prolific in the league this term, with six goals and only one ‘big chance’ missed, in his ten appearances.
He has scored 13 goals in 18 matches for Sundowns in all competitions, after netting 17 times in 38 games last term, and that may be why Rangers are keeping tabs on his situation, if they need to swoop for a striker this month.
It remains to be seen whether or not his form would translate from South African football to Scottish football, but Igamane came directly from Morocco and has produced ten goals and two assists in his last 11 games for the club, which shows that you cannot always judge players on the level they come from.
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Rayners could come in as an experienced head in the dressing room and a clinical finisher on the pitch to make the most of Hagi’s impressive creativity, which is why Clement should sign him and why the Romanian wizard would find him a dream to play with.