Glasgow Rangers enjoyed a great night at Ibrox on Thursday by holding Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur to a draw in the Europa League.
It was Ange Postecoglou’s first return to Glasgow since moving on from Celtic, who he won two Scottish Premiership titles with, in the summer of 2023.
Rangers ended the match with more shots, more ‘big chances’ created, and more xG but failed to come away with all three points, despite an impressive performance.
The Light Blues are now nine matches unbeaten in all competitions and have hit form at a good time, ahead of the League Cup final clash with Celtic on Sunday at Hampden Park.
However, a poor opening few months of the season has left the Scottish giants 11 points adrift of their Glasgow rivals in the race to win the title, with three losses in the division so far.
Celtic have won 14 of their 15 Premiership matches after they were able to strengthen their squad in the summer transfer window, having banked a hefty amount of cash through the sale of Matt O’Riley.
How much Celtic sold Matt O'Riley for
Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion swooped in to sign the Denmark international for a reported Scottish record transfer fee of more than £25m, breaking the record set by Jota’s £25m switch to Al-Ittihad in the summer of 2023.
This means that Celtic had huge sales in back-to-back summer windows to fund their own incoming business to make their squad stronger across the board, despite losing a couple of key performers.
O’Riley attracted significant interest in his services because of his sensational form in the Premiership for the Hoops during the 2023/24 campaign, with his ability as a scorer and a creator of goals helping him to standout in the division.
Appearances
38
37
Goals
3
18
Assists
12
13
Big chances created
16
14
Key passes per game
2.2
2.5
As you can see in the table above, the English-born magician had an impressive, but not unbelievable, first full season at Parkhead before emerging as their star man last season.
He dominated games and was a match-winner for Celtic on a regular basis, because of his ability to score and create goals, and that helped them to earn more than £25m from his sale.
That allowed the Hoops to sign Auston Trusty for £6m, Adam Idah for £9.5m, and Arne Engels for a club-record £11m, among several other deals.
Meanwhile, per Transfermarkt, Rangers did not sign a player for more than €5m (£4.1m) after their biggest summer sale was Sam Lammers’ £4m move to FC Twente.
Their lack of big money sales meant that they could not spend the kind of money that Celtic were able to, as Nils Koppen had to invest in younger, cheaper, talent, with the hope that they will develop into high-value assets – like O’Riley.
Rangers' promising summer signings
The Belgian recruitment chief, who is now the club’s technical director, brought in eight players to Ibrox on permanent deals, along with three loans, and five of those eight arrivals are aged 22 or under.
Connor Barron was snapped up from Aberdeen after his contract with the Scottish side expired at the end of last season and the 21-year-old ace has enjoyed a strong start to life in Glasgow.
He has made 26 appearances in all competitions and has started 13 of the club’s 15 matches in the Premiership, which shows that Philippe Clement already trusts the Scotland U21 international.
Another impressive young recruit from Koppen’s work in the summer is Brazilian left-back Jefte, who has emerged as a first-choice option for Rangers at the age of 20.
The promising full-back, who turns 21 later this month, has started 17 matches across the Premiership and the Europa League, and caught the eye with his solid form.
Appearances
13
Assists
2
Tackles + interceptions per game
3.7
Dribbled past per game
0.5x
Duel success rate
51%
Dribbles completed per game
1.5
As you can see in the table above, Jefte has offered a strong defensive presence at the back, with 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game without being dribbled past regularly.
However, summer recruit Hamza Igamane is the player who Clement could hit the jackpot with as his answer to Matt O’Riley, given his impressive form of late.
Why Hamza Igamane could be Clement's Matt O'Riley
The Scottish giants swooped to sign the versatile forward from Moroccan side FAR Rabat in the summer and his market valuation on Transfermarkt at the time of his move was just €1m (£829k).
After around five months at Ibrox, that valuation has already shot up to €2.5m (£2m) to reflect his superb form in recent weeks for Clement’s side.
The 22-year-old star, who scored against Spurs on Thursday night, has produced six goals and one assist in 16 appearances in all competitions for Rangers so far this season.
Five of those goals and his one assist came in his last five appearances for the club, as he struggled in his first 11 matches because the youngster needed time to adapt after leaving Morocco for the first time in his career.
Appearances
4
Starts
2
Goals
4
Key passes
5
Assists
1
Dribbles completed
5
As you can see in the table above, Igamane has been particularly impressive in the Europa League for Rangers with a return of five goal contributions in two starts in the competition.
He has proven himself on the European stage and his form of late suggests that the forward, who can play on the left or through the middle, is starting to thrive domestically as well.
Igamane, who was dubbed an “exciting young talent” by Koppen, is a dynamic attacker who can hold off defenders, dribble past opponets, create chances, and score goals, as illustrated by his form in the Europa League, and his market value is soaring as a result of his performances.
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If the 22-year-old whiz can continue to shine and develop with more experience under his belt then he could emerge as a high-value asset for Rangers who they later sell on for big money to fund their own summer spending spree, akin to the one Celtic had after selling O’Riley.