Rangers added to their summer recruitment tally on deadline day, bringing their total number of signings into double figures.
Among the new arrivals is Nedim Bajrami, who joins from Sassuolo in a deal worth approximately £3.5 million.
Bajrami’s name might be familiar to some, having stunned Italy with a remarkable 23-second strike at the European Championships just two months ago.
Also joining the ranks at Ibrox is Neraysho Kasanwirjo, arriving on loan from Feyenoord, further swelling the club’s contingent of Eredivisie exports.
Yet, despite the influx of new talent, doubts remain about whether this revamped Rangers squad is genuinely stronger than the one that concluded the previous campaign.
Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd has voiced his concerns, questioning the club’s transfer strategy and the overall strength of the current team.
Boyd’s scepticism centres on several key areas: Is Jefte Betancor an upgrade on Borna Barisic, even if the latter was in decline?
Is Robin Propper truly an improvement over Connor Goldson?
And was it wise to let Todd Cantwell leave for £500,000, only to spend £3 million more on Bajrami?
These are questions that, for now, remain unanswered, despite the early promise shown by Jefte, Propper’s experience, and Bajrami’s promising background.
As the first Old Firm derby of the 2024/25 season looms, Boyd’s unease is palpable. He fears that Rangers may have dismantled and rebuilt their squad without making tangible improvements.
Meanwhile, Celtic’s response to the loss of their Player of the Year, Matt O’Riley, could be just as crucial in determining whether this season’s title race will be competitive or another comfortable procession for the Hoops.
“Rangers are weaker [than before the window], but Celtic will also badly miss Matt O’Riley,” Boyd wrote in The Scottish Sun.
“The £30m man will definitely leave a big void. O’Riley was hailed as a victory for Celtic’s player-trading model, and there have been some big wins in recent years. They are miles ahead of Rangers in terms of being able to recycle fringe players for decent money.”
Boyd points out that Celtic managed to generate £8 million from the sales of Bosun Lawal, Oh Hyeon-gyu, and Mikey Johnston—all players who were far from Brendan Rodgers’ first-team plans.
In stark contrast, Rangers earned just £800,000 by offloading Scott Wright and Todd Cantwell, two players who were regulars in the starting XI and yet departed for what Boyd considers alarmingly low fees.
“Celtic sold Bosun Lawal, Oh Hyeon-gyu, and Mikey Johnston this summer for a combined £8m,” Boyd lamented. “Rangers, meanwhile, struggle to get £500,000 for Todd Cantwell, a guy who was a regular for the bulk of last season.”
Boyd is frustrated by what he sees as poor decision-making at Ibrox, which has left the club saddled with players on inflated wages, making it difficult to move them on.
“That comes down to bad decision-making, and there has been so much of that in the last few years,” he added.
Scott Wright’s sale to Birmingham City for £300,000 underscores the diminishing returns Rangers are experiencing.
His departure means that James Tavernier is now the only remaining member of the starting XI from the 2022 Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt—a game that, despite ending in defeat, should have marked a high point for the club.
Instead, as Boyd observes, it has been a downward spiral since then. Cantwell’s move to Blackburn Rovers on deadline day and Wright’s reunion with Ben Davies at Birmingham City signify the end of an era at Ibrox, one that Boyd fears may not have been replaced with anything stronger.