Rangers

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

It's difficult to overstate just how big a game the Rangers v Hearts fixture is this weekend.

For Hearts it is a major opportunity to lay down a marker in their quest to at least split the Old Firm, but from Rangers' perspective, it is a chance to kickstart their campaign following an improved performance before the international break against Celtic.

I said last week I felt Rangers had to win all four of their remaining games in September to earn Russell Martin a bit of slack from those who already want him out the door. And in terms of a title challenge, this first game in that run is a must-win.

The way the match begins will set the tone. If Rangers can start on the front foot and get an early goal, they can try to impose their own style on Hearts and ease the tension around the stadium.

But if Hearts start the better side and Rangers struggle, that tension will grow, the fans will voice their displeasure and it could make for another difficult afternoon for the Rangers head coach and his players as they seek that elusive first league win.

Some of Rangers' international players should come back in good fettle. John Souttar played very well in both Scotland games and has to return to his favoured position on the right side of central defence with Derek Cornelius, who scored a fabulous free-kick for Canada against Wales, coming in for a debut as his partner.

No one enjoyed a better international window than Thelo Aasgaard though, coming off the bench for Norway to score four in the 11-1 win over Moldova.

Much is expected of him in a Rangers jersey and if he can begin to show that kind of form, it would be a massive boost to Rangers' chances of success.

It will be very interesting to see how Martin accommodates his two new big-money strikers, Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski, while the other source of real intrigue is whether Nico Raskin, who scored for Belgium, can resolve his differences with the manager and find a way back into the team. All will be revealed on Saturday.

Russell Martin retains the backing of Rangers' owners for now despite the head coach losing the support of many of the Scottish Premiership club's fans. (Football Insider), external

Ayr United manager Scott Brown believes Leon King, who is on loan from Rangers, can still achieve the levels he was expected to reach when the 21-year-old centre-half broke into the first team at Ibrox as a teenager. (Glasgow Times), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Rangers midfielder Thelo Aasgaard scored four goals as Norway beat Moldova 11-1 in World Cup qualifying.

Substitute Aasgaard, 23, came on in the 64th minute and registered a 12-minute hat-trick, with his third coming from the penalty spot in the 79th minute. He added a fourth in added time.

Felix Myhre, Erling Haaland (five) and Martin Odegaard netted the hosts' other goals and Leo Ostigard's own goal meant all 12 on the night were scored by Norwegian players.

Summer signing Aasgaard, who has five goals in three senior international appearances, has played five times for Rangers this season, with Hearts visiting Ibrox in Saturday's Scottish Premiership match (15:00 BST).

New Rangers defender Derek Cornelius scored a free-kick winner and Hibernian winger Junior Hoilett featured as Canada defeated Wales in Tuesday's international friendly.

Cornelius, who has joined Rangers on loan from Marseille, struck the only goal of the match in the 41st minute.

Hoilett played the final 25 minutes as a substitute in Swansea.

Twenty-seven year-old Cornelius moves on to 37 caps, with Hoilett, 35, making his 67th senior international appearance.

Both players had featured in Friday's 3-0 friendly win in Romania, with veteran Hoilett again coming off the bench.

Cornelius could make his Rangers debut at home to Hearts on Saturday (15:00 BST), with Hoilett's Hibs hosting Dundee United later in the day (17:45).

Jamie Currie
Fan writer

Given that we signed Youssef Chermiti and Derek Cornelius on transfer deadline day to bolster the options at both ends of the pitch, I'm looking forward to witnessing what they add in the coming weeks and months.

The one area I think we are short is left-back. We have plenty of players who can play there but just one specialist in Jayden Meghoma.

Going forward for Russell Martin, he has to ditch his style to be more in line with the Old Firm derby performance - but with chances created at the other end.

The goalless draw with Celtic will go down as a missed opportunity for Martin. I wouldn't echo the manager's sentiment that it was brilliant or any other similar superlative.

It was fine defensively, and the workrate was there, but we struggled to create any clear-cut chances, which has been a problem in the league so far.

Martin also has to bury the hatchet with Nico Raskin and get his best midfielder into the team alongside Mohamed Diomande.

Whether we want him in the manager's job is irrelevant, Martin simply has to begin winning football matches, starting with Hearts on Saturday.

Style is not important just now, getting wins on the board is. If we don't beat Derek McInnes' side this weekend the pressure will become almost too much for this project to continue, but a win might just start something positive we can get behind. Football is funny like that.

Over to Russell and the players to deliver.

Rangers are considering a move for free agent Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 32, but Everton and Leeds are interested in the former England international, who left Turkish club Besiktas at the end of August. (The Boot Room), external

Belgium midfielder Nico Raskin says his situation at Ibrox is "complicated" but insists "I absolutely love Rangers" and will "work hard to get playing time again". (Voetbalkrant - via Daily Record, external)

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin scored his first international goal as Belgium cruised to a 6-0 victory over Kazakhstan in World Cup qualifying.

Raskin started alongside Aston Villa's Youri Tielemans in midfield and made it three in the early stages of the second half, tapping home a cross from close range.

Belgium are second in Group J, one point behind North Macedonia having played one game fewer.

Image source, SNS

Rangers defender Leon King has joined Scottish Championship side Ayr United on loan until the end of the season.

The 21-year-old has made 42 first team appearances for the Ibrox club since making his debut in 2020, but spent the second half of last season on loan at Queen's Park.

"I'm really happy and delighted to be here," the centre-back said of his latest move.

"Being a footballer, I want to play as many games as possible. The last few weeks have been pretty difficult but I'm just concentrating on myself and I'm ready to go here.

"I'm grateful for the opportunities I've had a Rangers but I have a job to do here now."

Former Ibrox striker and coach Billy Dodds believed Bojan Miovski would be a good fit for Rangers before the 26-year-old striker joined the club last month. (Record), external

Rangers right-back Zander Hutton, 19, has joined Hamilton Academical on loan. (Herald - subscription required), external

Read Sunday's Scottish gossip

Image source, SNS

Rangers defender Zander Hutton has joined Hamilton Accies on a season-long loan deal.

The 19-year-old, who came through the Rangers academy, is yet to make his competitive debut for the first team but featured in the Ibrox club's 2-2 friendly draw with Middlesbrough this summer.

"I spoke with the gaffer [John Rankin] over the week and was excited by the ambitions he has for the season and how I fit into his plans," the right-back told club media., external

"It was a great experience being part of the Rangers first-team in pre-season, I learned a lot in that period so I'm looking forward to playing and getting involved each week."

Rangers could return with a new offer for Crystal Palace's Jesurun Rak-Sakyi after the Scottish side missed out with a late bid for the 22-year-old English winger. (Football Insider), external

Former Rangers youth goalkeeper Jacob Pazikas, 20, has joined new Dubai-based club Rimal Al-Sahra SC. (Sun), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin, 24, was an unused substitute as Belgium beat hosts Liechtenstein 6-0 in Thursday's World Cup qualifying opener. (Sun), external

Insiders at Rangers are asking questions following the club's underwhelming start to the season. (Football Insider), external

Midfielder Blaine McClure, 18, has joined Nottingham Forest from Rangers. (Herald - subscription required), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

Image source, SNS

Former Hearts and Dundee United manager Robbie Neilson says Celtic's transfer window has turned what was a "one-horse race" in the Scottish Premiership to a two, or potentially even a three-horse race.

Neilson believes the pressure is on Celtic as their rivals have spent big in strengthening their squads while Brendan Rodgers' side have spent relatively low.

"Right through the transfer window Celtic were waiting to see whether they qualified for the Champions League before they went and spent, whether it was spending high or spending low," said Neilson on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Obviously, they didn't make the Champions League group stages and it looks to me as if they're spending low.

"When you look at what's happened at the other side of the city, the money that's getting spent there, there's definitely pressure now getting put in on Celtic.

"At the start of the season, I said it was probably going to be a one-horse race. Now I think it's potentially a two, maybe even a three, if you look at what Hearts have done."

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

The international break gives Russell Martin some much needed breathing space after a tumultuous first couple of months as Rangers head coach.

After the excruciating defeat by Club Brugge, Martin needed a big performance in the Old Firm derby and while it was far from perfect, his players did show a desire to restore some pride and that maybe, just maybe, there is a way for Martin's team to improve sufficiently to compete for honours.

Supporters, on the whole, still need to be convinced and only four victories from the four games they have in September will suffice as Martin seeks to turn a shaky start into something more steady if not exhilarating.

If Rangers are to be considered potential trophy contenders then home wins over Hearts in the league, Hibernian in the League Cup and Genk in the Europa League should not be beyond them before ending the month with a visit to Livingston. Slip-ups in any of those games will not be excusable.

Martin has been well backed by the new owners, with the reported £8m spent on Youssef Chermiti a real statement of intent.

I'd be lying if I said I knew anything about the striker beyond the bare statistics from his time at Everton, which don't make impressive reading, but sporting director Kevin Thelwell has obviously seen enough in the 21-year-old having also brought him to Goodison from Sporting for an even greater fee.

It will be interesting to see if Rangers can accommodate Chermiti and Bojan Miovski in the same team, having shelled out big money on both. Miovski is at least a proven scorer at this level and should be a success.

A bigger concern is the defence, particularly the left-hand side of it.

Deadline-day signing Derek Cornelius addresses the lack of balance at the heart of the back four if he has been signed to partner John Souttar or Nasser Djiga, but there remains a real lack of cover for the inexperienced Jayden Meghoma at full-back, with Max Aarons not having convinced in that role earlier in the season.

All this before we even begin to address the Nicolas Raskin debacle. Maybe I'll leave that until after the international break.

Rangers defender Clinton Nsiala turned down a deadline day move to Dynamo Kyiv, but could still leave Ibrox on loan since there is interest in the 21-year-old from clubs in Belgium. (Glasgow Times), external

Romania midfielder Ianis Hagi, the 26-year-old midfielder who left Rangers as a free agent at the end of last season, is to join Alanyaspor, who have seen off competition from Turkish rivals Karagumruck and Spanish side Elche. (sporx.com - in Turkish), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

Image source, SNS

Midfield pair Nedim Bajrami and Kieran Dowell have been left out of Rangers' Europa League squad.

Albania international Bajrami had dropped out for the Champions League play-off defeat to Club Brugge but did appear as a substitute in Sunday's 0-0 draw with Celtic at Ibrox.

Dowell has not featured since a League Cup win over Alloa Athletic on 16 August.

Deadline day signings Youssef Chermiti and Derek Cornelius go straight in, along with Bojan Miovski, and Nico Raskin keeps his place despite not being selected for the Old Firm derby.

Rangers start with a home game against Genk on 25 September.

They also face Sturm Graz, Brann, Roma, Braga, Ferencvaros, Ludogrets Razgrad and Porto.

Image source, SNS

Rangers plan discussions with Nico Raskin following the international break after the Belgium midfielder was left out of Russell Martin's squad for Sunday's Old Firm derby draw.

The 24-year-old did not start the preceding match, coming off the bench at half-time in the 6-0 drubbing away to Club Brugge.

"When he comes back Russell and I will sit down with Nico and talk about what we do next," sporting director Kevin Thelwell told RangersTV.

"We all want the same thing. We all want a better Rangers team.

"This is a very important year for Nico, with a World Cup coming up.

"He's a terrific player and he's going to want to be a strong part of that, so him doing well for Rangers is going to be important and important for us."

Image source, SNS

Rangers sporting director Kevin Thelwell has spoken to RangersTV in a wide-ranging interview.

Here are the best bits:

• Says he understands supporters' frustrations over the start to the season and stresses the need to rectify that in the coming weeks. Wants to give fans a "team to be proud of".

• Made it clear that results so far "haven't been good enough", but insists the club are heading in the right direction. Appreciates the need to deliver better results as soon as possible.

• On head coach Russell Martin, Thelwell says the former Southampton boss is "one of the best" he has ever worked with. Believes the hard work he sees from Martin behind the scenes will translate onto the pitch.

• When asked about the summer transfer business, Thelwell thinks there is a "nice balance" of hungry young players and more experienced players.

• He believes Rangers have improved every aspect of the squad and claims there has been a net spend of around £20m across the summer.

• Thelwell spoke about using the loan market and the benefit of "trying before you buy". He also thinks loans allow the club access to players they wouldn't be able to sign on a permanent basis.

• He believes Rangers have enough depth at left-back. He spoke positively about Jayden Meghoma's start and believes Derek Cornelius, James Tavernier and Max Aarons are all able to deputise on the left side of defence.

• Thelwell says Hamza Igamane made it clear that he wanted to leave and that's "part of football".

• Martin and Thelwell will sit down with midfielder Nico Raskin after the international break to discuss his role at the club. "Him doing his best for Rangers and playing well for Rangers is important for him" as the World Cup approaches.

• "Now that the window's closed, the hard work really starts" - Thelwell wants to build long-lasting structures that enable long-term success across all parts of the club.

We asked for your views on Rangers' summer transfer business.

Here's what you had to say:

David: Almost a complete squad replacement was needed and with 14 players brought in and 11 moved on, this has been largely achieved. Question marks remain over some of the incomings, but hopefully they will kick on as we move into a more settled period. Overall we've done well but still short of cover at left-back and right-back.

Matthew: Not bad, but I still feel we've let more good go than we've brought in. Cyriel Dessers is one of the bigger blows - as profligate as he could be, he never shied away and his goal return was very strong. Bojan Miovski will hopefully be a like for like in that regard. Keeping Nico Raskin is the best bit of business we could have hoped for. If he left as well, it would've raised serious questions about Russell Martin's ego against his determination for this team to succeed. The team needs to be built around him, not ousting him to the point he feels he has no future. Delighted he's stayed.

Chris: Keeping Raskin is definitely the best bit of business but whether Martin can get him playing at his best is a big worry. We've sold two strikers who can score goals and bought one that is trying to redeem himself in Scotland after failing elsewhere. A bit like the manager perhaps. We've reportedly paid £8m for a guy that can't score too. A bit like the defenders who cant defend that we have landed here.

Graham: Only time will tell if these new players will live up to Rangers' expectations. On paper spending £8m on Youssef Chermiti is a gamble, considering his goal-scoring record. However Kevin Thelwell and the decision-makers must see something in him.

Jim: Not a good transfer window. Where are all the Scottish players who know what it's like to play for Rangers? They needed players who know the history and standings of this once great football club.

Dan: A successful transfer window on paper with only a net spend of £7.5m and 14 new players added. Miovski looks good but the best bit of business was keeping Raskin. Martin's had the backing, got his players in, now he has just under two weeks to get them all on board to how he wants to play and come out swinging against Hearts. Time will tell how this goes but it seems like it could be a prime opportunity for domestic silverware this season with Celtic looking weaker, although I won't rule out Hearts or Hibs yet either.

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, Getty Images

It is nearly 25 years since Rangers splashed £12m on Tore Andre Flo. The Norwegian remains the club's record transfer, but the reported £8m fee paid to Everton for Youssef Chermiti on deadline day was still more than enough to raise eyebrows.

Chermiti, 21, didn't score for Everton in 24 appearances after a reported £11.5m move from Sporting in 2023.

So why have Rangers spent so much for a player with such an underwhelming record and what might the Portugal Under-21 international bring to Ibrox?

Well, he has been a player of promise for some time.

Having come through the prestigious Sporting academy, Chermiti made his debut as a 19-year-old, coming off the bench in a 2-2 draw at Benfica.

Also in the Sporting team that day were Manuel Ugarte - who has since played for Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United - and Tottenham's Pedro Porro.

After Chermiti's debut, manager Ruben Amorim - now of Man United - said: "Looking at Chermiti... we're discussing a new contract with him. If he signs a new contract, we won't be looking for another forward. He, Rodrigo, and Paulinho are my forwards. I promise you, if he signs a new contract, I won't be looking for another centre-forward."

A first senior goal followed a month later as he took the ball in his stride and found the bottom corner to earn a 1-0 win against Rio Ave.

Chermiti finished the season with three goals in 16 league appearances, showing enough ability to prompt that switch to Everton.

It was an impressive rise, but one that stalled on Merseyside. Chermiti started just one league match in two seasons - a 1-0 win over Brentford in April 2024 - and made just only appearances in the entirety of last term.

Everton have lost money on him, cutting their losses on a player who has fallen down the pecking order under David Moyes.

Now he arrives in Glasgow with pressure to deliver both goals and wins as Russell Martin attempts to recover from a rocky start to his tenure as head coach.

Rangers were active on transfer deadline day, splashing out big money for striker Youssef Chermiti and bringing in Canada defender Derek Cornelius on loan.

Cyriel Dessers followed fellow striker Hamza Igamane in departing Ibrox as Russell Martin's summer squad revamp was completed.

Rangers fans, are you pleased with the club's transfer business? Does it leave the squad in good shape for the season ahead - or is Martin light in certain positions?

Let us know your thoughts.

Image source, SNS

Rangers made two eye-catching signings on transfer deadline day, but might keeping hold of Nicolas Raskin prove to be their best bit of business?

The Belgium midfielder was left out of the squad for the goalless Old Firm derby draw on Sunday, but remains at Ibrox after the window closed and is reportedly set for clear-the-air talks with head coach Russell Martin.

"Raskin is still at Rangers which might actually be the biggest news of yesterday for the fans because a couple of days ago I just couldn't see that happening," said Daily Record and Sunday Mail sports writer Scott McDermott on the BBC's Scottish football podcast.

"I'm really surprised that Raskin's still there given everything that's happened in the build-up to the Old Firm game and even Russell Martin's comments in the aftermath.

"But for the supporters they'll be absolutely delighted that Raskin's still there. And that's going to be really fascinating, because it feels like in modern football just now where it's all about player power, very rarely does the manager win one of these arguments.

"But it feels from the outside like this is one that Martin has won. And in a World Cup year where Raskin wants to play for Belgium, it looks like he's going to have to go cap in hand to the manager.

"He's going to need to find out exactly what Martin wants of him and what it's going to take to get back in that squad."