Glasgow Rangers’ recent Old Firm troubles continued as they suffered a dismal 3-0 defeat over the weekend to their biggest rivals.
The result leaves the Ibrox side trailing the league leaders by five points in the Premiership after just four matches. It wasn’t so much the defeat, which was the worst part, as Rangers looked frightened to make anything happen, despite enjoying a bright enough start to the game.
Philippe Clement couldn’t have picked a better time for the international break to come. While the players may have failed to deliver on the pitch, the Belgian must take some responsibility for the results, as this was the Gers' fourth defeat in five Old Firm games under him.
It is clear that the summer transfer window wasn’t as productive as it should have been. Yes, the manager may have shipped out high earners such as John Lundstram, Sam Lammers and Connor Goldson among others, but the replacements have to prove they are up to the required standard.
Deadline day did bring in two new arrivals, as defender Neraysho Kasanwirjo and attacking midfielder Nedim Bajrami both joined the Light Blues before the window closed.
Kasanwirjo is only at Ibrox temporarily, but Clement shelled out around €4m (£3.4m) to bring the Albanian from Italy to Scotland.
He shone at Euro 2024 for Albania. Could the midfielder hit the ground running in Scotland?
Nedim Bajrami’s 2023/24 season in numbers
The 25-year-old joined Sassuolo in the summer of 2022, joining from fellow Italian side FC Empoli.
He had shone there, registering 44 goal contributions – 22 goals and 22 assists – in 127 games, but during his two years at Sassuolo, Bajrami couldn’t quite match these sorts of numbers.
Four assists and four goals were all he could manage in two seasons with the club. They managed to remain in Serie A during his first campaign but suffered relegation during 2023/24 and the offer from Rangers was clearly too good to turn down.
Despite scoring only twice in the Italian top flight, Bajrami managed to create three big chances, averaging 0.8 key passes per game while succeeding with 57% of his dribbles throughout the campaign.
Considering he averaged around 47 minutes per game, these are decent enough stats, especially in a top-five European league.
Among his peers in Serie A last season, the Albanian ranked in the top 9% for crosses per 90 (5.36) along with ranking in the top 6% for successful take-on percentage per 90 (54.4%), meaning he not only delivered balls into the box regularly, but the midfielder was also able to beat his opposition man more often than not.
These types of traits will surely allow him to thrive in Scotland, particularly as Clement needs a player of his class in the number ten role.
Bajrami also proved he has a keen eye for goal, scoring after just 23 seconds against Italy at Euro 2024 with a well-taken finish, and this experience on the biggest stage will do him no harm at all as he begins a new challenge.
Signing an attacking midfielder was a priority for Clement, but the judgment is out on Bajrami until he starts playing for the club.
It's evident he's got vast potential and he could perform strongly alongside a certain Nicolas Raskin in central areas.
Nicolas Raskin’s Rangers statistics
The Ibrox side had been chasing the Belgian youngster for a few months prior to securing his signature for £1.2m in January 2023.
Michael Beale immediately lavished praise on the midfielder, saying: “He is a young player that has already amassed good experience both in domestic and European competition. I am looking forward to working with him closely and integrating him into our team.”
The £19k-per-week midfielder went on to make 16 appearances for the club during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign, integrating himself well into the side ahead of his first full season.
Hailed as a “pit bull” by journalist Bob Faesen back in 2020 due to his physical nature and box-to-box tendencies, Raskin’s future looked bright last season.
Accurate passes
42.7
30.4
Total duels won
4.3
4.2
Tackles
1.8
2.3
Interceptions
0.5
0.4
Key passes
0.6
0.7
Successful dribbles
0.9
0.5
Due to injury problems, however, he managed to feature just 31 times in all competitions, of which only 20 were from the starting XI.
The Belgian did recover 5.3 balls, made 2.3 tackles and won 53% of his total duels per game when he did play in the Premiership, showing flashes of his abilities in the heart of the midfield.
The 23-year-old made his first appearance of the current campaign against Celtic last weekend, coming on for a ten-minute cameo which saw him succeed with 100% of his dribbles and win 75% of his duels.
Perhaps this is a sign of things to come for the talented midfielder and his market value continues to grow.
Market Movers
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Nicolas Raskin’s market value at Rangers in 2024
The former Standard Liege starlet is now currently valued at £5.5m according to Transfermarkt, which ranks him as the second most valuable player in the entire Rangers squad.
Clement could certainly secure a substantial profit on the midfielder should he sell him in one of the next windows, although there is no doubt his immediate future lies at the Light Blues.
Raskin now needs a consistent run in the starting XI to live up to the hype generated upon his arrival 18 months ago. Of course, injury problems haven’t exactly helped his cause during his time at the club.
His value is £2m more than what the Gers paid to sign Bajrami, meaning the club have certainly hit gold on the tenacious midfielder.
Hopefully, the international break gives him suitable time to recover ahead of the crucial run of fixtures that follow.
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