Since Danny Rolle joined Ibrox in October, only five players have featured more in the Glasgow Rangers squad than 18-year-old sensation Mikey Moore, and the teenager has reached a new level under the German manager.
During Russell Martin’s reign, the promising Englishman started just six games, missed the full 90 minutes once, provided just one assist and all six of Gers’ goals came after being substituted in the dugout.
The on-loan Tottenham Hotspur player has established himself as arguably the team’s ‘best player’, especially in 2026, with former Ibrox hero Steven Naismith starting the last seven Premiership games.
There is growing noise about a potential permanent stay ahead of the summer window, but there is no guarantee Moore will be a Rangers player next season, especially given the club’s recent loan history.
Comparison of Moore with previous Rangers loan deals
The 2025/26 season will likely be another season in which the Glasgow side’s star players have been more attractive in the form of loan moves, which has been a consistent theme for the Light Blues in recent years.
In terms of pure performance, Moore’s six-goal, three-assist return doesn’t really tell the whole story, but he actually doesn’t compare favorably to his predecessors.
Last season, for example, Václav Cerny scored 18 goals in all competitions and provided a further nine assists in his lone season at Ibrox, while Abdallah Sima scored 16 goals and provided two assists himself on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion the year before.
Meanwhile, the 2022/23 season was Malik Tillman’s season, with the German-born American international scoring 12 goals and five assists after joining from Bayern Munich.
However, given his age, a fairer comparison might be with Ivorian Amad Diallo, who joined in January 2022, albeit with just three goals in 13 appearances, as his influence has slowed under manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Moore vs recent loan deals | ||
|---|---|---|
player | game | Goal (assist) |
moore | 40 | 6(3) |
Cerny | 52 | 18(9) |
Shima | 39 | 16(2) |
tillman | 43 | 12(5) |
Amado | 13 | 3 (0) |
Of the recent quartet of notable loan signings, Amad has arguably made the biggest improvement since then, but he is now a mainstay at parent club Manchester United and is thought to be worth as much as €50 million ($42 million), according to Transfermarkt.
Considering he was only a temporary fit for the Rangers, it’s not all that heartbreaking to see this diminutive talent blossom in recent years, and it’s much more disappointing to see the Rangers lose a player of their own recently.
Rangers have already released their future ‘over £50m winger’ to Ibrox
The recent news that 16-year-old Kyle Glasgow has signed his first professional contract with the Light Blues was greeted with both joy and an element of surprise, with the teenage winger remaining loyal to the club despite plenty of Premier League and European interest.
Rangers can forget about signing Moore by unlocking ‘Answer to Leo Messi’
Rangers could move on from Mikey Moore by unleashing the Ibrox star to replace him on the left wing.
The sad truth is that both Rangers and Celtic have had to watch similarly talented players poached by English clubs for long periods of time, as was the case with Billy Gilmour, for example.
That is certainly the case for former academy sensation Abedile Mebde, with the London-born winger joining Gers at the age of 10 and then rising through the youth ranks alongside his older brother Dapo.
However, at a similar time in his career to the aforementioned Glasgow, Mebde did not extend his stay in Scotland, instead rejecting a contract offer from the Ibrox side to join Premier League giants Manchester City.
Like many players, the current Scotland youth international never got his chance at first-team level at the Etihad, but he enjoyed scoring goals in Manchester and was something of a revelation in academy football.
According to Transfermarkt, he scored 34 goals and provided an assist in just 30 games for City’s Under-18s and replicated that form at Under-21 level, contributing 26 goals in 33 appearances.
He was quickly signed for £1.65 million by Belgian side Westerlo in the summer of 2023, with analyst Ben Mattinson, who is now a Como scout, predicting that Mebde would become a “£50 million-plus winger” in the future, describing him as a “sensational prospect”.
He went on to score just four goals in 36 senior games for the Pro League team, but his recent move to Turkey in January proved especially fruitful.
The 21-year-old, who, like Moore, can play on either flank, has been particularly impressive so far in 2026, scoring four goals and assisting in his first seven Super League games for Caykur Rizespor.
Mattinson described him as “terrifyingly good” during his time at City, but that is finally starting to show at the top level, with his six goals and assists this season not far behind Moore’s own nine goals back in the game.
A direct and dynamic dribbler who is comfortable in a variety of attacking roles, much like Moore, Mebde is definitely one to watch over the next few years.
Indeed, if Mattinson’s £50m-plus predictions come true, this could feel like another frustrating tale of what could have gotten away with as far as Rangers are concerned.
Rangers have already sold the bigger Ibrox wonderkid than Mikey Moore for just £500,000
The Rangers have already released a future superstar recently.
