Russell Martin was officially unveiled as the new head coach of Glasgow Rangers earlier this month, and he is tasked with bringing glory back to Ibrox.
The Light Blues have not won the Scottish Premiership title for four years and ended the 2024/25 campaign without a single trophy to show for their efforts.
Martin and Kevin Thelwell must build a team that can challenge Celtic for the title next season, and there is already work going on behind the scenes to bring in fresh recruits.
Southampton’s Aaron Ramsdale, Leicester’s Conor Coady, and Swansea’s Harry Darling are just a few of the reported targets that the Gers boss is looking to snap up from the English market that he is familiar with.
Whilst they are in the market to improve the defence, with those two centre-backs and a goalkeeper, Rangers must also bolster their attacking options before the window slams shut.
They confirmed earlier this summer that Ianis Hagi’s contract would not be renewed, making him a free agent this summer, and his exit will leave a hole to fill.
Why losing Ianis Hagi is a blow for Rangers
Allowing the Romania international to move on from Ibrox was a bold decision and one that means the Gers have lost a proven Premiership performer who provided quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
Hagi, who returned to the fold under Philippe Clement during the first half of the 2024/25 campaign, after spending the previous year on loan at Alaves in Spain, caught the eye with his performances off the left flank or as an attacking midfielder.
The 26-year-old, as shown in the clip above, stepped up in big moments for the Scottish giants and Martin is going to need to find another wide attacker who can make a similar impact at the top end of the pitch.
Losing a quality player on a free transfer also means that the Gers may need to make sales in other positions in order to raise the funds to sign a replacement, as it will not be easy to find a star of Hagi’s quality.
Starts
16
Goals
4
Big chances created
6
Assists
5
Key passes per 90
2.5
Assists per 90
0.3
As you can see in the table above, the Romanian magician was particularly impressive as a creator, but also showed his class as a goalscorer for the Light Blues.
This is why it is so important for Martin to recruit a new winger, or attacking midfielder, who has the potential to deliver goal contributions on a regular basis next season.
With this in mind, the former Scotland international should push the club to seriously pursue a deal to sign one of their reported transfer targets, Leeds United ace Largie Ramazani.
Rangers' reported interest in Largie Ramazani
At the start of this month, TEAMtalk claimed that Rangers are interested in a swoop to sign the Belgian winger from the Championship champions during the summer transfer window.
The outlet reported that the Scottish giants have ’emerged’ as possible suitors to land the former Almeria flanker, who signed for Leeds for a fee of £10m in the summer of 2024.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
It added, however, that Rangers were simply monitoring the situation and that a transfer was not at any advanced stage, to which there has not been any update in the subsequent few weeks.
TEAMtalk claimed that Daniel Farke had not made a final decision on the attacker’s future at Elland Road, because he would like to see how the winger does in pre-season before making the call, which suggests that the Gers may have to play the long game with Ramazani.
If the Light Blues can eventually get a deal done for the Belgian star, whether that is a loan or a permanent move, then Martin could have a brilliant replacement for Hagi in the building, as he is also a left-sided attacker who can also play centrally.
Why Rangers should sign Largie Ramazani
Martin should sign Ramazani for Rangers as a perfect replacement for the Romania international because his performances for Leeds in the 2024/25 campaign suggest that he has the potential to explode as a regular starter in Scotland.
The former Manchester United academy graduate first made a name for himself with Almeria, scoring 22 goals in 128 matches, before his move to Leeds last year.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig even compared him to Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior and described the Belgian sensation as an “explosive” forward who can be a “counter attacking weapon” for his team.
Ramazani did not get too many opportunities to showcase that quality in the Championship this term, starting seven of his 29 appearances, but the 24-year-old whiz caught the eye in his limited minutes on the pitch.
Non-penalty xG
0.54
Top 2%
Shots on target
1,84
Top 2%
Goals
0.69
Top 2%
Assists
0.23
Top 20%
Chances created
1.50
Top 32%
Dribbles completed
2.07
Top 15%
As you can see in the table above, the Leeds winger ranked very highly among his positional peers in a host of key attacking metrics as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
Ramazani ended the season with six goals and two assists in the league, despite starting just seven times, which speaks to the kind of quality he could provide Rangers with if they give him an opportunity to play week-in-week-out as a starter.
This suggests that the Gers target could perfectly replace Hagi, as another right-footed forward who can play off the left or centrally in a number ten role, whilst he can also play on the right if needed.
Ramazani has the quality, as shown by his spell in Spain and his impressive performances in limited game time in England, to fill the hole that Hagi’s release has left at Ibrox.
He's Jelavic 2.0: Rangers ready bid for "complete" £6m star
Rangers could be set to make a bid for a new striker who could be the club’s next Jelavic.
ByRoss KilvingtonJun 14, 2025
It is now down to Martin and Thelwell to seal a deal for the Whites attacker if Farke decides to make him available for a transfer in the coming weeks.
