A look at the news regarding Rangers this week. Transfer news to begin with.
Harry Forrester has signed for Wimbledon on loan. It would seem he was the last of the players Caixinha definitely wanted to move on from last season. There’s still some doubt over the status of Joe Dodoo, who is training with the first team squad but never featuring on match days. Caixinha’s interview regarding striking options mentions Hardie and Rudden, but not Dodoo, which may be rather telling.
Through the connections Mark Allen has brought in, we’ve signed Aaron Nemane from Manchester City on loan. Unlike most City youngsters, he’s not had first team experience at any level yet, and is seemingly coming in until January to primarily play with the Development Squad. It seems unlikely that he won’t be involved in some first team action, though.
From videos and articles, he looks like a player who is fast, direct and has a decent goal threat. Some tipped him for a breakthrough to the City first team after impressive performances at youth level. His playing style would look to be similar to Sadio Mane at Liverpool, in that his mindset is very direct and he uses his pace often. He’s also quite short at 5′ 6″, but looks strong with a low centre of gravity.
In terms of ability, it’s really difficult to judge. I’ve read a few articles recently which suggest that youth football is too nice now. Many feel that the younger players have it too easy and aren’t being taught that winning mentality. The fact that Nemane will be 20 next month and this is his first loan deal may be a sign that he’s not quite there yet. After all, City are very much in the same mould as Chelsea, with numerous young players loaned out in various countries.
Because he’s coming in as the first signing Mark Allen has seemingly made, there will be a lot of focus on Nemane from the Rangers fans. If the transfer of Jamie Walker doesn’t go through, that will heighten. He’ll be seen as being signed instead of Walker in that case, no matter how little he’s involved in the first team. Mark Allen has said that the biggest factor in being successful at Rangers is mentality. He has no experience of signing players for first team level yet, but even if this is purely a signing for the youths, the player’s attitude and commitment should help both the club and Allen learn about each other.
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In other news, the Carlos Peña rumours persist. I suspect a major part of the Caixinha comments regarding him was down to the amount of noise coming from the fans. There’s a number of unknowns when it comes to both our signings from Mexico, but hopefully both will come good in time.
Somehow, certain members of the media are yet again misinterpreting Caixinha’s “best squad in Scotland” comments. They’re either pretty stupid to not get it after numerous explanations, or deliberately trying to spin it negatively. Either way, that’s best ignored.
That aside, it’s been a pretty normal week all things considered. Caixinha’s press conference and pictures from training should give us more indication of who will be playing on Sunday. Josh Windass would seem to have some sort of rib injury, so there could be at least one change.
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