Takeover or no takeover, the summer of 2025 is already shaping up to be a pretty important one in the modern history of Rangers Football Club.
If the team sitting a distant second in the Scottish Premiership table have any realistic hopes of closing the gap between themselves and Celtic in the relatively near future, one suspects that this is a transfer window they cannot afford to bungle.
A repeat of 2023 – when Rangers wasted much of their budget on Sam Lammers and Jose Cifuentes while handing Kieran Dowell a sizeable pay-packet – would serve only to push them even further back in the wrong direction.
Reports suggesting that the San Francisco 49ers are hoping to take over at Ibrox will of course lead to increased excitement if also increased expectation. Rangers could finance a permanent deal for Vaclav Cerny with added American investment, for instance.
But while much of the focus – as always – will be placed on potential incomings, departures are just as important for a club with plenty of deadwood.
Robin Propper may be put up for sale by Rangers already
Rangers will be praying that Aris take up their option to sign Jose Cifuentes permanently. Ditto Hannover and Rabbi Matondo.
Birmingham City’s promotion back to England’s second tier could see Kieran Dowell and Ben Davies rewarded for their contributions with full-time deals.
Gordon Dalziel, meanwhile, would not be surprised to see Rangers look to cut their losses on Robin Propper, just one year after the experienced centre-back joined in a £1.5 million deal from FC Twente.
Propper endured a ‘terrible’ evening at Kilmarnock as Derek McInnes’ outfit threatened to ruin Barry Ferguson’s interim debut in midweek. This has been a common occurance in a Rangers shirt; The Dutchman impressive in Europe but often calamitous domestically.
Dalziel, the former Rangers striker, cannot shake the feeling that Propper and the Premiership is about as fitting a combination as peanut butter and jerky.
“I am not a Propper fan,” Dalziel says. “I am not saying he’s a bad player [but] I think if he goes to the continent, where he’s played, he would be well suited.
“Scottish football, I think its just a bit quick and physical for him. He’s struggled.”
Propper is not the only Rangers defender who’s future looks uncertain beyond the current campaign. As things stand, it feels unlikely that Rafael Fernandes will be staying beyond his short-term loan deal with LOSC Lille.
Leon Balogun is 36 and due to become a free-agent in the summer.
Leon King has gone from rising star to forgotten man at Ibrox, meanwhile. The youngster has played only 21 minutes of Premiership football all season. The Daily Record claims that Rangers’ Scottish Cup conquerers Queen’s Park are hoping of signing King on a temporary basis before the loan deadline.
Ferguson is reportedly ready to sanction such an arrangement, with King nowhere to be seen in Ayrshire.
Leon King may need to leave Ibrox amid Queen’s Park interest
“It is interesting,” Dalziel says of a 21-year-old defender who was playing Champions League football for Rangers only a couple of seasons back. “When he came on the scene, I thought he had a real bright future. Maybe he’s not had enough game time.
“For me, he just has to look at what he’s got to do with his future going forward. He has to play games. Games will only help him learn and get the experience he needs.”
King’s hopes of a return to selection suffered a further blow on Friday. Barry Ferguson confirmed that John Souttar, Leon Balogun and Dujon Sterling are back in training after spells on the sidelines.
“I don’t think that, looking at Rangers over the coming weeks, they are going to look at someone like King coming in,” Dalziel adds, welcoming the idea of James Tavernier playing more regularly in the middle of Ferguson’s back four.
“I have seen Tavernier in there a couple of times. At Old Trafford, I thought he was excellent. [Against Kilmarnock] he came in and steadied the ship. His experience, everything about him.
“So I think they will go with that [over King].”
