Rangers have moved to sign young defender Alex Kpakpe after his release from Chelsea as the club’s development raids south of the border continue.
The Gers have used the English market in recent seasons to secure top talent and Kpakpe has signed a contract with the club until the end of the season.
Rangers have announced a range of new contracts in the club’s academy, with Alex Kpakpe joining the likes of Jacob Pazikas, Leon Grant, Findlay Curtis and Jamie Newton in signing new deals.
The deal to sign former Chelsea defender Alex Kpakpe comes after earlier reports had suggested the Gers were running the rule over the 18-year-old defender, who plays predominantly at left-back but also a centre-back.
Back in December, the Athletic reported the defender had impressed in a recent bounce game for Rangers and would look to go into the club’s increasingly bolstered Academy set-up.
If Rangers can get the player fit and firing then it could be a potentially lucrative move for the club, with the Gers already seeing the benefit of signing young players from down south and developing them into assets.
Rangers hope to develop Alex Kpakpe as asset
The reported £23m transfer of Calvin Bassey to Ajax immediately springs to mind, with Rangers paying a small development fee to Leicester City when they signed the kid in 2020.
Ex-Charlton star Joe Aribo also made Rangers a pretty penny when the Ibrox club paid a relatively low development fee to bring the now Nigerian international to Glasgow in 2021.
Since then Aribo has moved to Southampton in a reported £10m deal and Rangers have continued to look down south with the likes of Zak Lovelace and Charlie McCann as they aim to future proof the club.
Alex Kpapke could be the next name to breakthrough at Rangers via a stint in England and lets hope the short-term deal is the best one for all parties as the ex-Chelsea kid looks to get his career back on track.
Rangers deserve massive credit for the fine work gone into the Academy in recent seasons with Nathan Patterson, Leon King, Alex Lowry and Adam Devine homegrown players who have come through at Rangers.
The likes of Cole McKinnon and Robbie Ure have also made the breakthrough and let’s hope it’s a sign of things to come in the seasons ahead.
Meanwhile, another player has entered the game amid complicated Rangers striker links.
