If Glasgow Rangers end this season empty-handed, the Ibrox side will no doubt be reflecting on what has been a very disastrous summer of reinforcements under manager Kevin Thelwell.
Mikey Moore’s loan deal remains a major success story, and £8 million man Youssef Cermiti’s heroics in big games are notable, but otherwise it’s been a largely tragic story.
Indeed, Joe Rothwell returned to England after just six months, Max Aarons has not started a Premiership game since December and Cerro Asgaard have fallen down the table since Danny Rolle took over.
Another of this summer’s crop, Derek Cornelius, has become something of a forgotten man in Glasgow due to injury, with the end of his short stay at Ibrox now certainly in sight.
Why Cornelius was kicked out of the Rangers by Coach Rohr
A late arrival on loan from Marseille in the summer, Cornelius initially looked like a shrewd pick-up player for then-manager Russell Martin, especially thanks to his ability to play at centre-back or left-back.
The Canadian defender made his top-flight debut at half-time against Hearts in September and went on to start the next six Premiership games, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
The 28-year-old was actually unbeaten in six league starts, but was injured on international duty in mid-November and subsequently underwent surgery, marking the end of a bright start to his career in Scottish football.
Now in mid-March, the left-footed player has not been seen since and is thought to be accelerating his return from injury, but it was reported on Tuesday that he is unlikely to play any further role this season.
In fact, Cornelius has been ostracized to some extent after being informed that he will be training with the youth team for the remainder of his loan spell and is no longer considered part of Rolle’s first-team squad as they chase titles.
Perhaps, given his injury problems, the experienced centre-back would not have featured in any case between now and May, but such a move firmly signals the club’s intentions regarding the possibility of the exiled loanee staying permanently.
This somewhat surprising move highlights that Rohr is not only thinking about the run-in, but also about next season’s team, and there are other notable names to keep an eye on.
Rangers’ failure could see Cornelius treated at Ibrox
One of the key talking points at the moment is the form, or lack thereof, of January signing Andreas Skov Olsen, with the Dane putting in a quiet performance off the bench against St Mirren.
With just two assists and one goal so far, the 26-year-old hasn’t quite caught on as expected and left with eight league games left in hopes of proving he was worth the nearly £9m summer investment.
However, it’s still early days for Skov Olsen, and Gers supporters will have high hopes for a summer addition to the squad, namely Bojan Miovski.
Miovski – 25/26 vs. 23/24* | ||
|---|---|---|
23/24 | Statistics (*per game) | 25/26 |
38 | game | twenty three |
16 | the goal | 4 |
197 | minutes per goal | 290 |
15% | goal conversion | 15% |
16 | missed a big opportunity | 7 |
2 | assist | 1 |
4 | A big opportunity has arisen | 1 |
0.6 | Key pass* | 0.4 |
31% | Total Win Duels* | 34% |
*At Aberdeen | ||
On paper, it may appear that the Macedonian striker is having a productive first season at Ibrox. He has scored 10 goals in all competitions, ensuring he remains the club’s second highest scorer.
That said, five of those goals have come in domestic cup competitions, four of which have come in Scottish Cup matches against lower-league opponents, while he has yet to score just four goals all season in the Premiership.
According to his then-teammate Nicky Devlin, the 26-year-old looked like “the best player in the league in his position” during his time at Aberdeen, but his decline has been significant and he is now firmly behind Celmiti and Ryan Naderi in the centre-forward pecking order.
Apart from his performances in cup competitions, the former Girona striker has only scored one league goal so far in 2026, starting just two games in that period, and has been involved in goals even less in league games this year than Skov Olsen.
The forward, described as ‘Premiership proven’, has only played a total of 58 minutes in the last five league games and didn’t even come off the bench against Hearts and Celtic.
While he may not have been sidelined as much as Cornelius, Rowle appears to have become clear given Miovski’s position within the team, with the former Dons man’s own long-term future looking quite uncertain heading into the summer.
Whether in the starting lineup or on the bench, Miovski has made no impact so far and it looks like Thelwell’s new £4.2m signing will see a swift departure.
Rolle needs to bench £19m Rangers duo embarrassed by Moore
The Rangers got the job done on Sunday, but Danny Rohr’s front line was completely lackluster.
