Rangers have the talent to sell for more than Igamane & Aribo.

As we approach the transfer window, be it summer or January, Glasgow Rangers should be looking to achieve one of two things with their signing.

They should always be in contention for trophies every season, so any signings should be made with a view to improving the squad in the short term.

As well as these impactful signings, the Gers will also be looking for young players with significant development potential, with a view to selling them for a significant profit down the road, in order to continue their player trading model.

In the just concluded summer transfer window, Kevin Thelwell led the recruitment drive, but it is difficult to bring in many players in either of these categories at the moment.

In terms of short-term impact, Rangers are currently fifth in the Scottish Premiership after finishing second last season, indicating a setback on the pitch.

On the other hand, not many players signed in the summer are likely to be sold for profit in the future.

Rangers summer signings most likely to be sold for profit

Thelwell, who was axed from his position on Monday, has scrambled to bring seven players to Ibrox on permanent deals in the summer, in addition to the permanent deals of Oscar Cortez and Lyall Cameron, which were previously agreed before his arrival in April.

The Rangers have a pretty good track record of selling players for big sums in recent years. Calvin Bassey signed for Ajax for £19.6m in 2022, Joe Aribo for Southampton for £6m and Nathan Paterson for Everton for £11.5m, while Hamza Igamane was sold to Lille for £10.4m this year.

It would be bold to confidently predict that any of the seven permanent summer signings will be sold for profit, as apart from Cortez and Cameron, they have not received the green light from Coach Thelwell.

According to Transfermarkt, Jaydee Gassama is currently the most likely option as he signed for £2.2 million from Sheffield Wednesday and has six goals and two assists in all competitions. No other summer signing has scored more than once.

Emmanuel Fernandez could be ranked second despite playing only four games, as other players don’t offer as much of an offensive threat. Signed for £3.5 million, he has scored two goals in four league games and won 88 per cent of his aerial duels in two league games, according to Sofascore.

As you can see from the table above, Joe Rothwell and Bojan Miovski, who started on the bench against Livingston last weekend, rank in the bottom two, but that’s because they were bit-part players at ages 30 and 26, which doesn’t suggest they’re unlikely to perform and be sold for a big profit.

Oliver Antman, who contributed 3 goals, and Sero Asgort, who contributed 2 goals, rank slightly above these two as they are 24 and 23 years old respectively and still have time to develop.

Youssef Cermiti is ranked fifth as he is 21 years old and has had plenty of time to develop, but according to Transfermarkt he was signed for a hefty £8 million and the striker has only scored one goal in 13 games, so current evidence suggests he is unlikely to recoup his expense.

Meanwhile, there are players in the current Rangers squad who were signed before Thelwell’s arrival and could be sold for a significant profit, potentially even more expensive than the likes of Joe Aribo or Hamza Igamane.

Nicola Raskin was signed by former Ger manager Michael Beale from Standard Liege in January 2023 for a transfer fee of around £1.5 million under the previous owner of Ibrox, who was between sporting directors.

Why Rangers could sell Nicholas Raskin for profit

Given that they signed the Belgian midfielder for a fairly small sum, certainly compared to players like Chelmiti, it would be ‘easier’ for Rangers to profit from him if they decide to cash in.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Leeds and Tottenham are two of a number of clubs in the Premier League and Europe eyeing a potential move for Ruskin, but that the Ger side want a “big fee” for their star player.

This suggests there are teams interested in signing the Belgian international from Ibrox over the winter and means Rangers could potentially sign him to fund Danny Roll’s new contract if they were so inclined, but that doesn’t mean that’s what they should do.

TEAMtalk reported earlier this month that it would take a fee of between £18m and £20m to induce the Gers to sell Ruskin, which would be a significant profit compared to the £1.5m they signed for Ruskin around three years ago.

Selling him for a fee in the same region would mean Rangers could earn more money than Igamane, Patterson or Aribo, as mentioned above, but it would take a £20m fee to snatch Bassey’s crown as the club’s biggest-ever sale.

As you can see from the table above, Ruskin’s performances as a box-to-box midfielder in the Premiership have been exceptional since the start of last season, providing quality in the final third and defensive ability from the moment of possession.

The 24-year-old maestro, once hailed as “unbelievable” by former Gers striker Kris Boyd, has proven he can provide the club with consistent performances, but this summer’s signings have so far failed to achieve that.

So while Ruskin could be sold for a hefty sum, perhaps the club’s highest or second-highest sale in the club’s history, amid interest from multiple teams in January, it’s difficult to say whether signing Thelwell will result in a sale for a profit.

Rangers supporters may not want to see the Belgian leave the club in January, but his history and the fact that he could be sold for a huge sum of money is an example for Thelwell’s successor to emulate.