Rangers star looks set to become Ibrox's new Hamza Igamane under Rohl
If Rangers are going to reestablish themselves as both Scottish football’s dominant side but also a force in Europe once again, their recruitment simply must improve.
Sporting director Kevin Thelwell gave an interview to the club’s official TV channel this week, his position very much under the microscope from supporters following a very underwhelming transfer window.
Summer signings such as Emmanuel Fernandez, Joe Rothwell, Jayden Meghoma, Thelo Aasgaard and others have either made little impact or not impressed so far.
Rangers supporters won’t like this, but they’re going to have to replicate Celtic’s largely successful player trading model, with the side from across the city regularly selling players on for a sizable profit, something the Gers rarely do.
In fairness to them, the Light Blues did manage this with Hamza Igamane who departed this summer, so could an “exciting” new recruit be the next one to follow?
Hamza Igamane's impact at Rangers
When Igamane arrived at Rangers, he was a complete unknown quantity, signing from Botola club AS FAR in his native Morocco for £1.7m.
Well, the young striker certainly impressed during his one season in Govan, scoring 16 goals across all competitions, of which four came in the Europa League, while also bagging a hat-trick against Hibernian at Easter Road back in January.
He will though be most fondly remembered for this thunderous strike at Parkhead in March, snatching a 3-2 Old Firm victory over Celtic during Barry Ferguson’s interim tenure, awarded the club’s goal of the season.
Igamane though did not plan on sticking around in Glasgow, sold to Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille for a reported fee of £10.4m in August, which may prove to be an absolute bargain as far as les Dogues are concerned.
He scored twice on his Ligue 1 debut against Lorient at Stade du Moustoir, netting seven times for Lille to date overall, including three in the Europa League, featuring a brace against PAOK last month.
Meantime, Igamane scored his first two senior goals for Morocco in September, on target during World Cup qualifiers against Niger and Zambia, set to be a key figure in Walid Regragui’s squad for both the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil next month and then the World Cup in the summer.
Consequently, Rangers supporters may actually feel as though they let the striker go on the cheap, albeit there was nothing the club could do once his release clause was met.
So, who could be the Light Blues’ next bargain signing to depart for a huge profit, after exponentially improving his value and reputation at Ibrox?
Rangers' next Hamza Igamane
As already noted, many of Rangers’ summer signings have not impressed, hence why Russell Martin was sacked after just 17 games in charge, while, despite improvements under Danny Röhl, they remain fourth in the Scottish Premiership and rock-bottom of the Europa League standings, still yet to pick up a point.
However, almost inarguably, the best-performing of all their summer recruits has been Djeidi Gassama.
The Mauritania-born French youth international arrived from Sheffield Wednesday for just £2.2m, available at a cut-price given that now-ousted owner Dejphon Chansiri was running the EFL Championship club into the ground at the time, which looks like being a complete bargain, with the table below documenting the winger’s importance.
Minutes
1,733
4th
Goals
6
1st
Assists
2
4th
Shots per 90
2.3
1st
Key passes per 90
0.9
4th
Successful dribbles per 90
1.8
1st
Indeed, only Jack Butland, John Souttar and captain James Tavernier have played more minutes than Gassama so far this season and rightly so.
The Frenchman ranks first when it comes to goals, shots per 90 and successful dribbles per 90, with five of his six goals to date coming in European competition, on target home and away against Panathinaikos, at the double when Viktoria Plzeň visited Glasgow, while also on target in defeat at Sturm Graz.
Upon his arrival, then-manager Martin labelled Gassama an “exciting player who will get supporters on the edge of their seats”, while the winger expressed his delight in being reunited with manager Röhl, who’d also been his boss at Hillsborough, describing the German as “like a father to me”.
Earlier in the campaign, when Rangers’ form was diabolical, former right-back Alan Hutton asserted that Gassama had been their “shining light”, now only likely to get better under Röhl, the coach who kick-started his rise at Sheffield Wednesday.
Well, according to Football Transfers, Gassama’s estimated market value has already increased to around £4.5m, more than double what Rangers paid to sign him.
Scoring goals in Europe will certainly attract interest, proving that the attacker can perform at a higher level than just the Scottish Premiership.
Thus, still only 22 years old, Gassama appears destined to become Rangers’ next Igamane-like sale, while, for now, Röhl has to build a cohesive team to get the best out of his star forward.
Not Chermiti or Miovski: £4.5m flop is one of Rangers' worst ever signings
Rangers recruitment has been poor for many years, so which “insane talent” not Youssef Chermiti nor Bojan Miovski is one of the club’s worst signings.
ByBen Gray Nov 13, 2025