Rangers

Rangers will have to pay £4m if they want to land winger Oscar Cortes on a permanent deal from Lens, with the French club determined to recoup the sum they paid for the 20-year-old Colombian. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

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Several big-name Rangers players have seen their transfer market values fall, according to Transfermarkt.

Captain James Tavernier is now valued at €6.5m by the transfers and market value website - a fall of €500k - while centre-back Connor Goldson's value has fallen by €1m to €5m.

Rangers won the Scottish League Cup in the season just gone, but came second in the league behind Celtic and were also beaten by their Glasgow rivals in the Scottish Cup final.

John Lundstram, Kemar Roofe, Tom Lawrence and Fabio Silva were among others who saw their values drop after indifferent seasons.

At the other end of the scale, Dujon Sterling's market value has increased by €1m to €4m, the biggest rise among Philippe Clement's squad.

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Penarol's Uruguay Under-20 midfielder Damian Garcia, 20, is a reported target for Rangers. (Record), external

Rangers will reportedly seek six-figure compensation for outgoing chief executive James Bisgrove, who is joining Saudi Pro League club Al Qadsiah, and are in no rush to appoint a replacement. (Football Scotland), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

Players come and go, but sometimes a new face will arrive and win the hearts of supporters unexpectedly.

Who's the lesser-remembered player that showed up at Rangers with little expectation and perhaps had more passion than talent, but turned into a hero loved across the fanbase?

Give us your shout. , external

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Chief executive Neil Doncaster says crowd figures are "hugely promising" after the SPFL broke its attendance record for the second year running.

Over 5.15m supporters took to the stands to watch their side across all SPFL competitions in 2023-24, covering the Premiership, Championship, League 1, League 2, League Cup and the SPFL Trust Trophy.

The year-on-year figure marks an increase of 64,122 on the season prior's record high, when the number of people attending SPFL matches surpassed 5m for the first time.

A total of of 4,746,052 fans attended games across the four divisions, with Premiership matches attracting 3,760,765.

Scotland continues to have the best attendances figures per capita across its top four divisions in Europe with 21.3 per 1000 people - 65% ahead of second-placed the Netherlands.

Doncaster said: “After topping five million fans across an SPFL season for the first time in season 2022/23, it is hugely promising to see attendances growing even further this season.

“Our supporters are renowned across the world for their dedication and passion and regularly record the highest per capita attendance in Europe."

Kit launch season is firmly upon us.

And Rangers have stripped things back with their first offering of the new campaign, with a classic feel to their away strip for 2024/25.

The club describe the kit as a "modern celebration" of Ibrox's "special spirit", with the stadium celebrating its 150th anniversary in December.

Take a look for yourself...

Image source, Rangers on X

Image source, BBC Sport

Rangers could move for Godoy Cruz's Chilean defender Thomas Galdames after a move for Levski Sofia's Jose Cordoba collapsed. (Record), external

Recent debutant Robbie Fraser is in talks with Rangers over a new contract. (National - subscription), external

Sam Lammers' wages could be a stumbling block to his departure from Rangers, with FC Twente linked with the forward who spent the latter half of the season on loan at Utrecht. (Twente Insite - in Dutch), external

Meanwhile, Rangers will attend TransferRoom's Mexico convention next month along with more than 100 clubs and agencies. (Record), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

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Fabio Silva says his underwhelming loan spell at Rangers this year helped make him a man.

The 21-year-old Portuguese forward – who moved to Wolves for £35m four years ago – joined Rangers on loan from the Molineux side in January.

He went on to make 25 appearances, scoring six times, as Philippe Clement’s team missed out on the Premiership title and Scottish Cup to Celtic.

Writing on Instagram, external, Silva said: “Life is made up of good and bad moments. Of ups and downs.

“This season I gained much more than I lost. I lived in new stadiums, new environments and in a different city.

“It was a year of learning and a year that made me a man. I learned that the important thing is to never give up and that I must mature every day so that the result is consistent.

“Thank you to everyone. To my parents, my brothers, family, friends and my agent. To Wolverhampton and Rangers.

“The important thing is to be desired and happy. And with them, I can do anything. Trust the process always.”

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Philippe Clement's first season in Scottish football - all seven months of it - has been a success, as far as I’m concerned.

Could it have been even better? Undoubtedly. From a high point at the end of February when there was plenty of excited chatter about the Premiership title and a possible treble, a solitary League Cup success feels like a bit of an anti-climax.

If that's the case, it's only because expectations were raised beyond what could have been reasonably anticipated.

When Michael Beale departed, Celtic were already close to disappearing over the horizon. The lead was seven points and Rangers were in disarray. Clement orchestrated a recovery only the most optimistic souls within Ibrox could have dreamt of.

From the depths of losing in Limassol before his appointment, Rangers were resurrected as a European force before a sensational win in Spain over Real Betis allowed them to hit the heights of Europa League progression as group winners.

A trophy soon followed when the League Cup was lifted before Christmas. This, remember, as Santa was being booed across the city. Celtic recovered to win the December derby, but any new year Rangers blues were then blown away by a run of 11 straight victories through January and February.

But Clement and Co simply ran out of steam, big style. The Belgian had coaxed and cajoled just about all he could from the team he inherited - wringing the entire squad of every available player to compensate for a painfully long injury list.

The problem with creating a winning mentality is you're required to win things in order to achieve it.

Another runners-up spot in the Premiership, followed in short order by losers' medals in the Scottish Cup final. Wins over Celtic in five attempts (four under Clement)? Zero. That all makes for rather a painful and depressing finale for Rangers fans.

There are some things they might want to hold on to, however. If at the end of September they'd been promised a League Cup trophy, a Scottish Cup final and a Premiership title race that wouldn’t be decided until the penultimate match, very few wouldn't have taken that.

They appear to have found a manager of substance but one who has a familiar problem. He can’t beat Celtic. The next derby is at Celtic Park, where the home side are likely to be favourites to win once again.

That brings me to the vicious circle Rangers need to find a way out of. They sacked a manager who took them to a Europa League final because he struggled to beat Celtic.

If Clement loses the first derby of next season, will Rangers reach for the trap door once more? They’ve set the bar high for managerial standards. Just ask Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Beale.

Clement, I would argue, now deserves some proper time for his own rebuild of Rangers. Time to see whether he can create a proper winning mentality inside Ibrox again to match the ferocious one across the city.

Panama centre-half Jose Cordoba, the 22-year-old who was reportedly poised to have a medical with Rangers, is very close to joining Norwich City from Levski Sofia. (Nabil Djellit on X), external

Rangers midfielder Alexander Smith is close to agreeing his first professional contract at the Ibrox club until June 2027 after they fended off strong interest from Premier League clubs and Major League Soccer for the 15-year-old who is eligible for both Scotland and the United States. (Fabrizio Romano on X), external

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed he is in talks with a club about a return to management, but the former Rangers boss has ruled out a second spell at Feyenoord. (Glasgow Times), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

Jamie Currie
Fan writer

Where do you start with Saturday's Scottish Cup final? It was a sore one to take as I expected a comprehensive defeat.

The team gave everything they could. And the manager got his tactics correct, learning from previous matches against Celtic.

But in the end the luck didn’t go in our favour, and the points of failure in the lead-up to Adam Idah's winning goal killed us, in addition to the lack of quality we could bring off the bench compared to Celtic.

I’m glad the season is over but I do think there is a lot to look forward to under Philippe Clement, especially if he and director of football recruitment Nils Koppen are properly backed in the summer.

I'm now looking forward to the Euros. As I said last week, the season was horrific in the beginning, decent in the middle and in the end it collapsed.

All Rangers can do is tool up properly and go again next season.

Leon Balogun, who was due to be out of contract with Rangers this summer, has signed a new one-year deal after a strong end to the season by the 35-year-old German-born Nigeria cap. (Scottish Sun), external

Abdallah Sima has hinted he is ready to commit his long-term future to Rangers because Ibrox "feels like home" after the 22-year-old Senegal forward's season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, where he is entering the final year of his contract. (The Herald), external

Rangers will have to pay £3.5m should they complete the signing of Adama Traore and discussions with Ferencvaros are at an advanced stage for the transfer of 28-year-old despite several European big names being interested in the Mali winger after he helped his side win the Hungarian league title. (Africafoot), external

Panama centre-half Jose Cordoba is poised to sign for Rangers after the Scottish Premiership runners-up took time to decide whether to close the deal with Levski Sofia due to the 22-year-old's doubts about the move. (Matte Moretto on X), external

Jose Cordoba will undergo a medical to complete his transfer to Rangers from Levski Sofia before joining the Panama squad preparing from the Copa America, with the Bulgarian club reportedly initially receiving £2m, plus £1.2m in bonuses, after interest from Norwich City passed in the centre-half. (Topsport), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Have Rangers been in the same place the past three summers?

Was there a sense of "inevitability" in Celtic's title win?

Might Philippe Clement have to consider selling the likes of Jack Butland and Mohamed Diomande?

Ahead of another recruitment rebuild at Ibrox, Jordan Campbell of The Athletic tells BBC's Scottish Football Podcast there are tough questions to answer in Govan.

Rangers will miss out on a reported six-figure bonus payment from Leeds' signing of Glen Kamara after the English Championship side lost in the playoff final to Southampton. (Daily Record, external)

Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers could miss the start of next season after the club fear he tore ankle ligaments during Saturday’s Scottish Cup final defeat (Scottish Sun, external)

Read the rest of today's Scottish football gossip here

Rangers fans are united in their disappointment at Saturday's Scottish Cup final defeat by city rivals Celtic, but they are divided about who to blame most - the players, the match officials, the board or even the manager.

Here's a selection of your views:

Alexander: Another game of missed chances. I feel bad for Jack Butland. He's been brilliant this season and to make that mistake so near the end. It's a season to forget and it's goodbye to a lot of serial losers. Looking forward to next season with a better team on the pitch. Can't be any worse.

Steven: Difficult to take to be honest. Such fine margins and a game of two halves for sure. Celtic the better team in the first half and Rangers much better in the second. Nico Raskin needlessly pushing Joe Hart and Jack Butland spilling a shot. That was the difference. We're not a million miles away from being the top team, but wholesale changes required.

Peter: Maybe sounds a wee bit like sour grapes. However, all I have to say is have a look at the replay and you see Greg Taylor with his arm around Nico Raskin and pushing him. Not to mention how no free kick for blatant foul on Dujon Sterling at edge of the box. I'm pleased and proud with Rangers' performance.

Frank: When you are second best and have been for some time then getting out of that mentality is difficult. Have too many players who think they know what playing for Rangers means. Plenty of them ready to fight rather than play.

Alan: Rangers need to play with considerably more pace, especially in the transition out from the back. You don't have to be Pep Guardiola to understand that pedestrian side-to-side football is futile and, until Philippe Clement reverts to that style of play, Rangers won't improve. Ange Postecoglou did it with Celtic and look at what followed.

Silas: I don't know where all this rubbish about honesty, mentality and character come from. The object of the game is to win the game by scoring more goals than your opponents. To do this, you need a team in place who can compete. Rangers have not got that at this moment in time. They are certainly not a bad team. Won a cup, lost a cup by one goal and second place in the league.

Steve: Proud at the way they played and desperately disappointed that we're talking about officials influencing games once more. This Rangers team proved they were more than a match and the tide is turning. With luck and honest officials not making errors, they will return to the top. The pendulum is swinging - roll on 24/25.

Jim: Some players are not good enough to wear the jersey. Players who should have been sold last year are playing for the club in very important matches. Let the manager get on with the rebuild. If we would have spent £3.5m on Lawrence Shankland, we would have won the league and guaranteed £50m from the Champions League.

Alan: They put in a good shift on Saturday and were unlucky to lose. However, the challenge ahead is tough. They have to strengthen the squad and attempt to close the quality gap with Celtic. Two points out of 12 in Old Firm games reflect this. Realistically, this will not be achieved in one season and will require ongoing major investment in the team.

Ian: We need more pace and aggression in both defence and midfield. In attack, we just someone that can actually score. Time has caught up with James Tavernier, John Lundstram, Tom Lawrence, Ryan Jack, Kemar Roofe and Borna Barasic. If we can get a good fee for Jack Butland to fund the rebuild, we should certainly consider it. Obviously we need to reduce our injury rate.

Edward: Rangers have been competitive, but as far as I can recall, the officials have disallowed a Rangers goal in every meeting of the last season. Some in my opinion justified and others not, which may or may not have an impact on the season trophy wins.

Nigel: In hindsight, Rangers should never have let Giovanni van Bronckhorst go. Take nothing away from Philippe Clement, but Michael Beale's decision-making when it came to assembling a new squad has had a disastrous effect on the club. Rangers were poor when Gio was sacked, but we had a brutal amount of injuries and were playing in the Champions League, which exposed us massively.

Bill: Injuries aside, not buying Lawrence Shankland has cost us the title and the cup, not to mention £30m. Shame on the board.

Anon: What was that display from Rangers? A very poor performance. You can't use injured players as an excuse. Other small teams cause Celtic bigger problems than Rangers have all season. Manager must go.

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Leon Balogun says he will have to "digest" Saturday's Scottish Cup final defeat by Celtic before turning his attention to his future as he reaches the end of his contract.

Manager Philippe Clement is looking to free up money to bring in new signings, but 35-year-old centre-half Balogun finished the season strongly.

The German-born Nigeria international made a surprise return to Ibrox a year after being released following the 2022 final and joining Queens Park Rangers.

And his appearance at Hampden was his 19th of an injury affected campaign in which he was preferred to stalwart Connor Goldson for the cup semi-final and some crucial league games before the latter suffered a knee injury.

When asked what the future holds, Balogun said: "We'll see. First, I have to deal with this defeat now and try to switch off a bit and then I have to see what the next weeks bring.

"I stood here two years ago and pretty much opened up about how much I love the club. That hasn't changed.

"So, definitely, there's an openness. But again, for me, I have to digest this first and then we'll see what the future holds."

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Philippe Clement admits it will be a "massive challenge" to revamp his Rangers squad in time for next season's Champions League qualifying games and their attempt to overturn Celtic's domestic dominance.

The Belgian had already started his rebuild by signing Brazilian left-back Jefte on a four-year contract from Fluminense 24 hours before Celtic completed a league and cup double by beating their city rivals 1-0 in Saturday's Scottish Cup final.

"There is not much time - that is the reality," manager Clement said. "You have qualifying games for Champions League in August, you have five league games also, so that is nine games in four weeks.

"You need to rebuild the squad. We have several players out of contract who will leave the building, so you need to replace them without money coming inside.

"We need to be really inventive in our transfers and doing the smart things. It is going to be really challenging, but we are busy already with that for months within the club."

Clement admitted that "talented" 20-year-old Jefte and other additions "will need also their time to adapt".

"How long? That is always difficult to predict," he added. "Some players, they adapt really fast, some players need more time, but we are working hard to get more quality in the building."

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement has refused to blame goalkeeper Jack Butland for the soft concession that consigned Rangers to Scottish Cup final defeat.

Butland spilled a long-distance effort from Paulo Bernardo, allowing Adam Idah to knock in Celtic's winner in the 90th minute.

"It is a really difficult shot," said Clement. "Jack was in the rest of the game really good, and Joe Hart was really good.

"So, no. I don't think... you can always say details and he should have pushed the ball to the side but the ball was really going like that. That is an unlucky moment."