Rangers must rue selling “explosive” star

Glasgow Rangers will be looking for an upturn in form between now and the end of the season under interim manager Barry Ferguson and his backroom team.

Despite the comeback win, the 4-2 victory over Kilmarnock on Wednesday evening proved that Ferguson still has plenty of work to do.

Killie led by two goals after just 15 minutes as the Light Blues’ defence struggled to cope when the home side were on the attack.

Ferguson proved he won’t be afraid to make the big calls, however, as youngster Clinton Nsiala was subbed off after just 31 minutes.

Philippe Clement wouldn’t have made this call until it was too late, but it changed the game, as the Ibrox side hit four goals without reply to secure all three points.

The former Rangers captain has inherited a decent squad from Clement, one who he could get a tune out of between now and May.

He won’t win any silverware, but handing over a team that is fired up ahead of the 2025/26 campaign could make all the difference to the new manager, that’s for sure.

One player who has an extraordinarily bright future ahead of him is Hamza Igamane. Under the right manager, the Moroccan striker could be a massive asset to the Light Blues next season.

Hamza Igamane’s season in numbers

The Gers required some more firepower ahead of the current season, especially if they were to challenge Celtic for the Premiership title.

A few players were targeted throughout the transfer window, but Igamane was signed from AS FAR for a fee in the region of £1.7m.

The move certainly raised eyebrows, especially considering he had played only 58 senior games during his career, scoring 16 goals in the process.

Furthermore, the African centre-forward hadn’t played outside the continent either, indicating that his move to Ibrox was a major gamble.

Despite taking a few weeks to get over an injury he was carrying when he signed, Igamane has proven to be worth every penny of his transfer fee.

Indeed, across 33 matches in all competitions, the 22-year-old has scored 13 times while grabbing three assists. He has even played as an attacking midfielder and left-winger during his time in Glasgow, suggesting he can offer some positional flexibility when required.

His performances in Europe have arguably been his finest. In just four starts in the Europa League, Igamane has scored four goals at a rate of a strike once every 91 minutes.

He also averages 1.8 shots per game, 1.2 key passes per game and has created a solitary big chance, impressing against the likes of Nice and Tottenham Hotspur.

His display against the English side was watched by scouts from Everton, who were earmarking him as a potential signing for the upcoming winter transfer window.

Keeping him was a big boost for the club, but it is clear that Igamane won’t be at Ibrox for long, especially if he keeps up his meteoric rise. According to CIES Football Observatory, Igamane is currently valued at €16m (£13.2m), which is a significant leap from the £1.7m fee the club paid to sign him just a few months ago.

If the new manager decides to cash in, the Gers will rake in a substantial profit. That’s a certainty.

He could follow in the footsteps of a former Ibrox starlet, who shone during his time with the club before leaving for a club-record fee…

Calvin Bassey’s rise at Rangers

Like Igamane, Bassey joined the Gers as a relatively unknown player way back in the summer of 2020.

Rangers had to pay £230k as a compensation fee for the defender, which soon turned out to be a major bargain. He only played 15 times during his maiden season, serving as a back-up to left-back Borna Barisic, but when the club suffered an injury crisis at the heart of the defence at the beginning of 2021/22, Bassey was thrown in the deep end.

He made 50 appearances as the Light Blues won the Scottish Cup and reached the Europa League final. These performances began to attract attention and in the summer of 2022, Ajax came calling.

A fee of just under £23m was agreed between the two clubs, which was a club record for the Gers. Not bad considering they had shelled out pennies for him two years previously.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst obviously couldn’t turn down this fee, especially with the need to bolster his squad.

How much Calvin Bassey is worth now

The Nigerian international defender failed to settle at Ajax and departed after a single season, making the move to Premier League side Fulham in 2023.

He cost £19.3m, meaning Ajax recouped nearly all of the money they paid for him a year before, and Bassey settled in quickly in London.

Hailed for his “explosive” qualities by former U23 coach Steve Beaglehole, Bassey has played 58 times for the Cottagers since the start of the 2023/24 season.

In the Premier League this term, the defender has a 90% pass success rate, winning 62% of his total contested duels and is dribbled past just 0.2 times per game in the top flight.

His performances have certainly improved throughout the current campaign, helping lead the club to ninth in the league table at the time of writing.

Indeed, his form has boosted his market valuation. According to CIES Football Observatory, Bassey is now valued at €35m (£29m) – even higher than Igamane – which means Fulham could make an impressive profit on the player should they decide to sell this summer.

It proves that shining in Scotland can be enough to secure a big money move abroad. Bassey may have struggled to make an impact for Ajax, but since arriving at Fulham, he has taken to the English top flight with ease, utilising his strength and pace to become a key player under Marco Silva.

Still only 25, Bassey has still to hit his peak, which is a scary thought.