Rangers were told to lodge the record bid for “slalom skiers”

The Glasgow Rangers kicked off their Russell Martin days with a big Champions League result at Ibrox on Tuesday night as they beat the Panathinaikos 2-0.

With the help of an awayside red card, goals from Findray Curtis and Diedie Gassama in the second half of the match secured the Light Blues’ victory, which has a two-goal advantage over Greece next week.

It wasn’t a perfect performance by the Scottish Premiership Giants, but there have been no too many complaints about a 2-0 victory in the European match, as goalkeeper Jack Butland had to pull away many impressive stops.

Especially considering Gassama, Cyriel Dessers, Hamza Igamane and others have resigned to the bench, and Thelo Aasgaard has been missing due to injuries.

Due to various fitness issues, Martin chose to go from the middle with Danilo, who headed towards the centre of Brazil, as his departure with Panatinaicos.

He failed to register goals and assists in 74 minutes on the pitch, but there was no “big chances” before the goal.

What Danilo needs to succeed in Rangers

Perhaps the biggest hurdle the 26-year-old Marksman needs to jump over to succeed with the Rangers is avoiding injuries as he has lacked too many games since moving to the club in 2023.

Light Blues reportedly paid up to £6 million to sign the attackers two years ago from the Dutch Giants Fayenord, but the clash with Panathinaikos was just his 49th appearance in all competitions.

As you can see from the table above, Danilo has missed 53 games with injuries since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, and had to wear a protective face mask due to two knee injuries and one broken cheekbones.

Rangers number 99 showed off his quality when he became available, but it’s rare enough that he’s returned with 12 goals and nine assists in his 49 appearances.

Last season, Danilo scored five goals, created eight “big chances” and registered four assists in 23 games in the Premiership, but only started eight of those games.

However, the Brazilian attackers received no service to Panathinaikos. That’s why GERS needs to sign more creative players to provide strikers with the opportunity they need to score.

Rangers were told to pay a record fee to the Creative Star

Rangers may have to pay a club record transfer fee to land one of their creative stars on the wish list in the summer transfer window, according to a new report.

According to Ibroxnews, the Scottish giants will have to pay a fee of around £15 million to sign Premier League side Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.

The report claims that the Eagles prefer to sell the 22-year-old forward rather than lending him, and they want a fee of at least £15 million for breaking up with him.

Andre Flo’s £12 million move from Chelsea in 2000 remains the current record signing of the club.

Athletic David Ornstein claimed that the Rangers received a loan offer by the Palace, owing to sign before about £10 million.

Why should rangers sign Rak-Sakyi?

A £15 million club record fee would be a huge gamble by the Rangers. Because it puts a lot of pressure on Rak-Sakyi to become a Scottish superstar.

The left-footed winger must continue to be sold for a healthy profit in order to win many trophies to the club or for transfers to be considered successful. I think this may be a reluctance for GERS to commit such funds to the transaction.

However, the Rangers can land a good right-wing outlook and rekindle Danilo’s career at Ibrox if they decide to sign Raksakii, or if they can negotiate a loan agreement with the palace.

The 22-year-old starlet, likened to a “slalom skier” by former boss Dean Holden, has shown high hopes for his loan spell, which has been away from the Palace so far, and has shined in League One and Championship with Charlton with Sheffield United.

As you can see in the table above, Rak-Sakyi has scored 22 goals and provided 10 assists in 77 games in the EFL of his previous career.

At 22, he leaves time to continue growing and developing as a player, so even if the club breaks the club’s record to sign him, he can become an investment that could potentially grow his value.

The left-footed wizard also helps rekindle Danilo’s Ibrox career by providing strikers with wingers that can earn “big chances” he creates.

Of course, the Brazilian forward will need to work on his fitness to ensure that Martin chooses one week a week per week in the 2025/26 campaign, but if he can do that, Raku Sakiy could become a dream winger to play with him.

Whether that means that the palace youth is worth £15 million is hard to say, as it depends on how his career at the club ultimately unfolds, but he is a quality winger who can thrive alongside Danilo and become a strong addition to the team, but the deal is made for him.