Rangers

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Club Brugge head coach Nicky Hayen says he has a "good connection" with Rangers counterpart Russell Martin. But any friendship is likely to be put on hold during their forthcoming Champions League play-off tie.

The sides meet at Ibrox on Tuesday night in the first leg with the return the following Wednesday in Belgium.

"I like Russell very much," Hayen, 45, told BBC Scotland. "I was in Haverfordwest County when he was in Swansea. We met each other because of Gary Richards (his former assistant at Haverfordwest who previously worked at Swansea)."

"I wanted to visit Swansea for two days. He allowed it. But we never found the right date. The year after, we arranged a friendly game between the two teams. The game was scheduled. Then I left the club to come to Brugge."

Hayen revealed the pair exchanged regular text messages, although they actually only met in person for the first time when Brugge played Rangers this summer in a friendly at Ibrox.

"We spoke a lot," said Hayen. "We texted a lot. We stayed always in touch. But of course, tomorrow this doesn't count.

"He's a great manager. If you see the results that he got in Swansea and Southampton. It's a nice step for him over here. Of course, there's a lot of pressure. But I'm sure that he will deal with it."

Club Brugge beat Salzburg to reach the play-off round. And, after making it to the round of 16 in last season's competition, Hayen is keen to progress to the league phase again this term.

"The team who is the best in keeping the ball, progressing, use the spaces, they will have a good chance to win the game," added Hayen.

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Rangers midfielder Thelo Aasgaard hopes to make "a dream come true" by helping his new club reach the Champions League.

The 23-year-old, who joined Rangers in the summer from Luton Town, admits "it's every player's dream to play in the Champions League from when they're small".

The Norwegian international was born in Liverpool and came from the Anfield club's youth academy before joining Wigan.

"Champions League nights mean everything to me personally," he said.

"If I can contribute in a Rangers shirt on big European nights, it would be a dream come true.

"Now I'm at Rangers to write my own story here and I'm really focused on the game against Club Brugge.

"If I could feature in this play-off game, it would be right up there for me."

Aasgaard made his debut for the Ibrox side from the bench in their win over Alloa in the League Cup on Saturday, after injury delayed the start to his Rangers career.

"It was a bit frustrating being injured for a few weeks but that just made me more hungry to get back," he added.

"I was delighted to finally get on the pitch.

"Last season I was injury free so I was really happy with that.

"Coming in here, I had a couple of weeks with the squad which I really enjoyed but then felt a niggle in a pre-season game which has kept me out for four weeks.

"Mentally, it was a bit tough at first, but I've had injuries before in my career so I know how to deal with it."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Rangers head coach Russell Martin has been speaking to the media ahead of his side's Champions League qualifier against Club Brugge.

Here are the main points:

• Martin says the two legs against Brugge are "massive" for the club and knows qualifying for Champions League "would help us a lot...not just financially but what it would do for the players and their belief."

• The Rangers boss stresses that he's "enjoying" his time as Rangers manager, despite concerned texts from his Mum after reading some negative messages boards - "I keep telling my mum, don't worry about it. It's all good. I'm enjoying it."

• On facing Brugge, Martin believes their meeting in pre-season will have "little bearing" on these games, as both teams are quite different.

• The former Southampton boss believes his players can perform with the same level of intensity, energy and courage with the ball as they did against Viktoria Plzen.

• Team news: Cyriel Dessers is "touch and go" but if he is not fit tomorrow, we expect him to be back for the weekend and next week while new signing Jayden Meghoma is hopefully going to be registered to play, although "they'll wait and see if he's ready to go."

• Nicolas Raskin will be in the squad for tomorrow, Martin confirms he was rested at the weekend and feels there is "no truth" in rumours of him wanting to leave.

Rangers fans, we asked for your thoughts on the arrival of Jayden Meghoma on loan from Brentford.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Peter: Where does it end? Another young, inexperienced 19-year-old boy. It is mind blowing. Nothing against the boy whatsoever but does he know what's ahead of him this season in Europe and at home? I would like to think we're going to sign experienced players soon.

David: Another loan but that's our world nowadays. This one much needed. The left side of defence is our biggest weakness. We've been wide open here for a couple of seasons now. Here's hoping we've finally got a left-back who can tighten up our defence. As ever with us, all a bit last minute with crucial games lining up over the next fortnight.

Robert: All these players Russell Martin has worked with in the past is a major concern to me. He hasn't exactly been a success as a manager in the past. And what I've seen so far isn't going to be in the future.

Rab: Delighted we have signed a young, athletic, experienced left-back. A position we badly needed to fill and young Jayden fits the bill.

Brian: I'm not convinced by this recruitment of youth and loan deals as I don't believe Russell Martin has time on his side to exploit their potential. I would rather see seasoned players oven-ready for the rigours of Scottish football. The fans are not convinced by him as the manager so their patience is paper thin already. He will not be given time as the atmosphere will turn toxic on his tenure when his team stumble further behind in the title race .

Steven: Another player with 'potential'. It's not potential we need. It's experience and a proven record of playing at a high level. With any luck he's not as bad as our other two loan defenders. Even if this lad is good, he's got other guys around him that can't defend, so not sure what difference this will make. I've seen nothing so far to give me any confidence in our loan defensive signings, unfortunately.

Calum: Going from an occasional starter at Brentford to play in Champions League Qualifier is a massive jump, high risk and seems desperate.

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Wolves, Aston Villa, Brighton and Fiorentina are all keen on a move for Rangers midfielder Nico Raskin, but the Ibrox outfit would demand £25m for the Belgium international. (Glasgow Times), external

Lille could reignite their interest in Rangers striker Hamza Igamane after manager Bruno Genesio expressed his frustration over a lack of summer signings. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Monday's Scottish gossip.

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Brentford left-back Jayden Meghoma says he's "hungry and excited" to get going at Rangers after joining the Ibrox club on loan.

The 19-year-old links up with Russell Martin's side having spent the second half of last term on loan at Preston North End.

The defender previously had spells with Tottenham and Southampton and was handed his senior debut for the Saints by Rangers boss Martin in 2023.

"I am very excited to be here," Meghoma said.

"It is a fantastic club, and I know a lot about the rich history of Rangers. When the deal was presented to me, I thought straight away that it would be a fantastic opportunity for myself and my family.

"The main thing for me is getting results. Rangers is a big club, and I am ready, I am hungry and excited to get going."

Boss Martin says Meghoma is a player with "potential, real athleticism and a great attitude".

Rangers fans, what do you make of the signing? Are you pleased to bolster your defence?

Rangers now have four loan signings, including three in defence - does that concern you?

Have your say on Meghoma signing

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Rangers winger Mikey Moore has declared his ambition to become "one of the best players in the world".

The 18-year-old Tottenham loanee made his Rangers debut in the Premier Sports Cup win over Alloa and is desperate for action against Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off first leg on Tuesday.

"It's a massive game, as every game is when you play for Rangers," Moore said. "I'm excited for it. I seen some of the games in the earlier rounds and it's been good to qualify [for the play-off].

"So it's a massive opportunity for me and all the boys. I can't wait to go.

"I've had some good experiences and I'm ready to go and show more, really. I want to make more of an impact on a European stage, so I'm ready to play.

"I want to just become a better player really, so I think there's massive opportunities at this club.

"I just want to play as many games as possible, score as many goals and excite as many people as I can.

"I want to play in the biggest competitions and I want to be one of the best players in the world, hopefully.

"I've signed a new contract at Spurs but at the minute I'm focused on playing here. I'm just buzzing to play in some massive games at this football club."

We asked for your views on Rangers' 4-2 win against Alloa in the Premier Sports Cup.

Here's what some of you said:

Martin: We got the win which is the first thing you have to do, well done on that. Some good stuff played and good to see the new players getting a runout but again the defence is shambolic. We can't defend like this on Tuesday, come clear your lines, back to basics and stop making schoolboy errors. Onwards and upwards. Things can only get better l hope.

Paul: If Rangers are struggling to break the low block of Alloa Athletic it doesn't augur well for the far superior teams they are about to play. The tactics being employed are just not cutting it.

Steve: Once again, poor. The defence is a nightmare and I dread the first Old Firm match, Reo Hatate is going to love these guys! Too much tiki-taka football and we are not good enough. We need to be faster going forward and more direct.

George: Another poor performance. A shambles at the back, moving the ball too slow, no idea what to do.

Bill: Very worrying signs at the back and up front, the season will be an uphill struggle unless we get proven talent that can steady the ship and offer leadership. At the moment there are glaring deficiencies and you just have to look at the squad to know what needs strengthened. The season could be over in a matter of weeks, the board and recruitment staff are letting the manager down.

David: Yet another largely ineffective performance. It would be very unfair on Alloa to claim they were routinely dispatched. I worry our glaring defensive weaknesses and impotent attack are going to be exposed in some, if not all, of our next four games. Fallout could be brutal.

Rangers will not be signing Real Betis defender Nobel Mendy, 21, imminently after talks collapsed. (Record), external

Nicola Docherty backs new Rangers women head coach Leanne Crichton to change the mentality at the SWPL side. (Herald - subscription required), external

Former Rangers midfielder Thomas Buffel urges fellow Belgian Nico Raskin to ignore transfer speculation and focus on his Ibrox career. (Record), external

Read Sunday's Scottish gossip

Much-changed Rangers delivered an unconvincing performance as they beat League 1 Alloa Athletic to reach the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup.

Read the match report.

Have your say on the match.

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Rangers head coach Russell Martin tells BBC Scotland: "We scored four goals, should score more but I'm pleased we got guys on the pitch for the first time properly here.

"With 10 changes, it's not going to look as fluid and clean as it should, but so many of them will be in a better place than they were at the start.

"I'm pleased for Emmanuel Fernandez. He has a lot of potential and good attributes. It's a good start for him.

"There's work to do in every department. I don't think we learned anything new there. Credit to Alloa - they were great. We'll keep striving to improve."

On potential additions between now and Tuesday's first leg against Club Brugge: "The team will obviously look very different on Tuesday. We're happy with the players we've got, but I think we'll add before then.

"Me and Ridvan Yilmaz understand the situation. We'll have to wait and see what happens on that.

"Today is frustrating at times, but we're through and guys got valuable minutes. It's my job to always want more and demand more.

"We want to win trophies this season and this is a great chance for us to do so."

Rangers are bracing themselves to receive offers for 24-year-old midfielder Nicolas Raskin late in the summer transfer window amid interest from a number of Premier League clubs. (Football Insider), external

Meanwhile, Rangers, Girona and Real Betis are interested in Nottingham Forest left-back Alex Moreno, with the La Liga outfit making the 32-year-old their priority and the Spaniard open to a return to his former club. (Santi Aouna), external

Former Hearts player Ryan Stevenson fears Rangers may sack head coach Russell Martin and go after Tynecastle boss Derek McInnes. (Daily Record), external

Motherwell are considering an approach to bring 18-year-old midfielder Bailey Rice back to the club from Scottish Premiership rivals Rangers. (Daily Record), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

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Rangers defender Robbie Fraser has joined Championship side Dunfermline Athletic for an undisclosed fee.

Academy graduate Fraser, 22, made his Rangers debut in May 2024 and featured four times for the club last season.

He spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Livingston, helping David Martindale's win promotion back to the top flight, and the Scotland Under-21 international has now signed a three-year deal with Neil Lennon's Pars.

"I'm at a stage in my career where I've come out of that younger phase. I want to get games, I want to show that I'm more than capable of holding my own," Fraser said.

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Jefte and Oscar Cortes have been left out of the 25-man Rangers squad submitted for their Champions League play-off against Club Brugge.

Brazilian left-back Jefte is reportedly, external subject to a transfer offer from Palmeiras in his homeland.

Fellow 21-year-old Cortes became a permanent signing this summer after arriving last summer on loan from Lens with an obligation to buy, but the Colombian winger has been troubled by injury.

Their places have been taken by new wing additions Thelo Aasgaard and Mikey Moore.

Aasgaard, signed from Luton Town, missed out on the victory over Viktoria Plzen in the third round of qualifying through injury.

Moore received international clearance for his loan move from Tottenham too late for that tie, but is now available to begin his Ibrox career on Saturday as Rangers host Alloa Athletic in the second round of the Premier Sports Cup.

The Champions League squad changes leave Rangers with no senior left-back for the play-off tie, although they have the ability to add two new eligible players before midnight on the day before the first leg.

Rangers host Brugge on Tuesday before travelling to Belgium for the second leg a week later.

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Brazilian forward Danilo says he's ready to "step up" and show what he can do after struggling to convince in his injury-blighted Rangers career.

The 26-year-old has scored 12 goals in 54 matches since joining from Feyenoord two years ago.

Danilo, who is set to start against Alloa in the Premier Sports Cup second-round tie on Saturday, said: "You work hard for any typical moments that happen right now.

"Obviously the focus is on me and this is a great opportunity for me to be ready and show my qualities.

"My head is in a great place. So right now it's just about momentum and hopefully the goals come as well.

Although results have been up and down under new head coach Russell Martin, Danilo has enjoyed working under the former Scotland defender, who the Brazilian says places additional demands on his strikers.

"As a new manager comes into the building you want to show your qualities and your fitness levels, so it was great for me to be ready for it," Danilo said.

"I think we have fewer long balls and that makes it more difficult for strikers. He's trying to position us to be more involved in the game and run more in the final third.''

Danilo has faith that Martin's style of play will pay off despite taking just two wins from the first six games.

"We're always under pressure, especially at home when we don't perform," he said.

"So I think when we put everybody together and everybody's on the main focus, there's going to be a great future for all of us."

Russell Martin has been speaking to the media before Rangers face Alloa Atheltic in the Premier Sports Cup this weekend.

Here are the key lines from the Ibrox boss:

• The knee injury suffered by Cyriel Dessers in midweek as not as bad as first feared. The striker is "still stiff and sore" but could be fit to face Club Brugge on Tuesday night.

• On reports Jefte is poised for a £6m move, external to Palmeiras: "I think the club will update you as and when it becomes something. He's in this morning. I guess that's all I can give you as the manager right now."

• On links to Real Betis defender Nobel Mendy:, external "He doesn't play for us, so I can't tell you anything about him. I've never met a kid, never spoke to him in my life. So, yeah, I don't really know."

• Martin won't "make 11 changes" but is set to shuffle the team for the Alloa tie where Mikey Moore and Thelo Aasgaard could make debuts and Hamza Igamane is in the squad.

• On Rangers' Scottish Cup defeat to lower-league Queen's Park last season: "It's completely gone. Some of them [the players] werre probably part of that. I don't see any benefit in me bringing it up."

• After struggling to break down Dundee's low block in the 1-1 draw last weekend, Rangers have "done a lot of work on that since and hopefully you'll see that tomorrow".

• On criticism of Rangers' early-season performances, Martin is keen to block out "outside noise". He adds: "When you come and work for a big club like this, you have to accept that there's going to be so many opinions, ex-players, supporters, but we have to just focus on what we can focus on. So it really doesn't affect, or it shouldn't affect what we're doing here."

• Martin says he was speaking to a member of the maintenance staff who said, "We are turning the tanker around gaffer" and that's exactly how he feels about the situation.

• Martin "loved" that the players were frustrated with some of the aspects of the performance in Plzen "because I think their understanding is growing. Their belief in what they're doing is growing. And at some point, it will all really pay off for them".

• On Rangers conceding 97 shots in their opening six games, Martin is "not happy" with it but says "perspective and context" is required.

• He adds: "I got made aware of it this week by the analysts who then did a real detailed breakdown of it. So over half the shots were from well outside the box. The two games that we've given away too many chances are Panathinaikos and Plzen, and we're playing two teams away from home in Europe. They're 2-0 and 3-0 down and committing numbers forward that we haven't usually seen them doing. So we can definitely negate that and stop that."

• Martin has "no problem" with Andy Halliday criticising his tactics: "I like Andy, I regard him as a really good ex-team-and a good person. But when you work in the media, you have to give an opinion, right? Although I never have said we're going to play an inverted full-back, so I have told him that."

Sheffield Wednesday have turned down bids from Rangers and West Ham for goalkeeper Pierce Charles, 20. (Independent), external

Offers in excess of £1m for Charles have been rejected. (Mike McGrath), external

Barry Ferguson urges his successor as Rangers head coach, Russell Martin, not to take criticism "personally", highlighting how Martin is "paying the price for years of underachievement which have taken a heavy toll". (Record), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip