The January transfer window is a time for most to refresh squads for the rest of the season. For new managers, it is their first dip into the market, and we can usually get a glimpse of the type of player they want to bring into the club.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst has signed four players to date (not including pre-contract John Souttar). So how have these signings fared during their time at Ibrox so far? Rangers News reviews.
Aaron Ramsey
The deadline day move that sent shockwaves around Scottish football and a signing completely out of the blue that had Ross Wilson portrayed as Shane McMahon with dollar symbols coming out of his eyes.
On the pitch, the Welshman’s time at Ibrox has been hampered, unsurprisingly, by injury leading many to criticise his signing.
He has shown glimpses of his quality, however, and in his 8 appearances has managed 2 goals and 1 assist – most notably opening the scoring in the most recent Old Firm encounter.
3 goal contributions in 8 games is decent for a player in his position, but when it’s cut down to actual minutes on the pitch, this averages out at a goal contribution just about every game which is highly impressive.
It was always going to be a 50/50 with Ramsey – win the league and he’s a cult hero but lose it and he’s a flop.
With the latter seeming more than likely now, his time at Ibrox will likely be remembered more for his time on the injury table than on the pitch.
Appearances: 8
Goals: 2
Assists: 1
Rating: 6/10
Amad Diallo
The Ivorian wonderkid joined on a loan until the end of the season from Man Utd in a deal that many saw as the solution to right wing problems and Hagi’s unfortunate injury, but he has been anything but an answer to the prayers of the Rangers fans.
Impressing on his debut at Ross County, scoring just 5 minutes in, it seemed that he would play a pivotal role in the run in, but after a performance at Celtic Park in which he was unimpressive (albeit with limited service), he was frozen out the team for a short while and hasn’t recovered.
Diallo also failed to square it to Fashion Sakala for a goal at Tannadice meaning that many fans do not see him in a positive light anymore.
He will leave at the end of his loan spell with his only likely impact being that goal in Dingwall.
Appearances: 7
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Rating: 3/10
James Sands
The USA international came in on an initial 18-month loan with an option to buy and Gio threw him straight into the firing line with a daunting trip to Pittodrie on his debut.
He played reasonably well but his minutes have been limited since, coming on as a utility player to add strength to the midfield, allowing Lundstram to move back to the defence and make a back five in games the team needed to see out, most notably Borussia Dortmund at home.
His minutes have been limited but he has shown that he can do a job and has been useful when required. It will be interesting to see if he plays a bigger role next season with the likes of Ramsey and Davis expected to leave in the summer.
Appearances: 9
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Rating: 6/10
Mateusz Zukowski
The Pole arrived as an out and out replacement for Nathan Patterson who completed a club record £16m move to Everton.
He wasn’t expected to play much ahead of Tavernier and this has proven to be the case with his only appearance being in the 3-0 Scottish Cup win at Annan Athletic.
It was a comfortable performance from the former Lechia Gdansk player who showed signs of talent and is clearly an athletic player that has similar attributes to Patterson.
He has been consigned to the B team for the rest of the season and it is likely he won’t play again this term unless Tavernier is injured or suspended. Next season he will be looking to make a similar breakthrough at Patterson did in the previous season.
Appearances: 0
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Rating: 4/10
Summary
The January signings were a gamble that looks to not have paid off for Ross Wilson, whilst younger talents like Sands and Zukowski can have parts to play, the two main signings of Ramsey and Diallo have not provided the impact that was envisaged.
Ramsey has shown himself to be an excellent addition when playing, but that’s the issue – he hardly plays.
Diallo is clearly not suited to the Scottish game and doesn’t seem to be able to get his head up and find that killer pass, something that Man Utd fans have picked up on as well.
There are still two massive games coming up this week for Rangers with plenty to play for, and now will be the time to see if these signings have any future at Rangers next season.
Total Rating: 19/40
