Rangers were never going to be able to sign every player that fans fell in love with this summer or those who seem certain to head to Glasgow.
Yusuf Kabadayi was almost certain to be presented at Ibrox with Adama Traore said to be in the “advanced stages” of talks as Philippe Clement looks to rebuild a broken and battered squad.
The Rangers manager is casting his net far and wide with the help of Nils Koppen with one new name emerging that should excite those who have been disappointed to miss out recently.
Ouassama Targhalline on Rangers radar despite midfielder doubts
Ryan Jack and John Lundstram have left with only Connor Barron arriving to add new energy to the engine room.
Names are few and far between in terms of potential options with Steven Alzate the only top quality target who is available after his release by Brighton.
If Clement was interested, a deal probably would have been confirmed by now.
The other, is Oussama Targhalline.
The Morocco youth international who will play at this summer’s Olympics and whose contract at Le Harve has just a year left to run following his move from Marseille in 2023.
Targhalline made just 16 appearances last season in a campaign cut short by an Achilles tendon rupture.
Not exactly a great selling point.
What is though, is his style of play and who he compares to.
Targhalline could be Rangers version of Germany great
Emre Can is currently playing in the European Championships with Germany and has been one of the continent’s most consistent central midfielders for the last decade.
Targhalline measures up almost perfectly in terms of statistical performance in key areas for the engine room.
He wins over 90% of his duels and it is the same for forward and progressive passes.
The 22-year old does the hard work, but also knows how to use the ball when he gets it.
Exactly the type of profile that Rangers have been missing since Steven Davis got injured and then retired.
Both Barron and Nicolas Raskin are energetic and aggressive midfielders, but they aren’t the type to dictate the tempo of a game, Targhalline is.
This is a key role in the system that Philippe Clement uses most often whether playing at home or abroad.
Someone who can protect the defence, build play and link attacks is key if Rangers are to turnaround their fortunes.
There is an element of risk, however, on paper, Oussama Targhalline fits the bill.
