In Neraysho Kasanwirjo, Rangers boss Philippe Clement feels he has got himself a young, ball-playing defender who can play anywhere across the back four.
While welcoming both Kasanwirjo and fellow deadline day addition Nedim Bajrami to Ibrox, Clement spoke glowingly about the adaptability and the tactical intelligence his Feyenoord loanee brings with him across the Channel.
The former FC Gronignen ace offers real ‘versatility’ and ‘depth’ to the Rangers backline.
Cover not only for James Tavernier at right-back but also for Jefte on the left. Kasanwirjo can play in the centre too, becoming the latest Eredivisie import to arrive on the watch of ex-PSV scout Nils Koppen.
The attributes that attracted Rangers to Kasanwirjo, meanwhile, can also be seen in another promising centre-half who found himself on the radar of the Scottish Premiership challengers.
Rangers missed out on Manchester City’s Jadel Katongo
Jadel Katongo, an England Under 20 international, was made available on loan again by Manchester City this summer.
And, after spending the 2022/23 season in England’s third tier with Peterborough United, Katongo now picks up where he left off after putting pen to paper on another temporary contract with the London Stadium outfit.
Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony, speaking on the latest edition of The Hard Truth podcast, explains how Katonga’s return to the League One outfit came about.
And he claims that Rangers were initially supposed to take the rangy 19-year-old north of the border. The deal broke down, though MacAnthony stops short of saying why.
“I worked on the Jadel deal the day before (the transfer deadline) in the UAE. We’d loved Jadel all summer,” MacAnthony says. “We got told all summer that he was going to go to Scotland. I think it was Rangers he was potentially going to.
“(But we) got a call from Jadel the day before saying that the Scotland move was off. Man City then came to us and said; ‘Look, let’s try and work something out’.
“So I approved the deal the night before, and then it was just a race against time getting him down on the day.”
Philippe Clement lands Neraysho Kasanwirjo instead
Just to complicate matters further, Katongo’s representative was up to his eyes in the Jadon Sancho deal in the final few hours of the window.
Peterborough still found time to get Katongo through the door, however, while Sancho was negotiating his switch from Manchester United to Chelsea.
“His agent, I believe, represents Sancho,” adds MacAnthony. “He was busy doing the Sancho deal.
“(Signing Katong) was really good because he can play centre-back, left-back, right-back, centre-midfield… We were all doolally making that signing.”
Katongo played 43 games for Peterborough last term.
He was a key part of the side which claimed the EFL Trophy, playing the full 90 minutes as Darren Ferguson’s team beat Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 at Wembley.
Speaking to the Peterborough Telegraph, Posh boss Darren Ferguson labelled Katongo an ‘outstanding’ talent while hailing his ability and winllingness to take advice on board quickly.
And while Rangers failed to conclude a deal for one current Man City youngster, they also hit the buffers in their pursuit of another who rose through the ranks at the Premier League champions.
Much to the frustration of former Gers defender Russell Martin, discussions to take £10 million winger Sam Edozie to Glasgow collapsed with the former England youth star heading to Anderlecht instead six days later.
