Rangers securing the services of Lille loanee Rafael Fernandes not only boosted Philippe Clement’s defensive ranks, it also brought an end to any interest they may have had in the forgotten men of Burnley and Marseille.
The former Portugal Under-21 international made his debut under Clement off the bench during Sunday’s 4-0 hammering of Ross County.
And if what club insiders are saying is true – Rangers think they have landed an ‘unreal’ talent – then Rafael Fernandes could become the latest loanee to earn fan favourite status after the likes of Vaclav Cerny and Abdallah Sima.
Rangers, fortunately, had the good sense to include an option-to-buy clause in Fernandes’ contract. The Glasgow giants were priced out of a permanent deal for Sima and may struggle to meet Wolfsburg’s demands for Cerny.
Fernandes, having never played a game for Lille since his £2.5 million move from Arouca, should cost only a fraction of the fees required for Sima and Cerny.
And with the Sporting Lisbon academy graduate in the building, that brought a pretty sudden end to any interest Rangers may have had in Hjalmar Ekdal.
The Burnley misfit was tipped for a move to Ibrox before moving to Eredivisie outfit Groningen instead. It looks to be a similar situation regarding Bamo Meite.
Bamo Meite heading to Montpellier after Rangers links
Marseille youngster Meite reportedly had admirers at Rangers too. It is surely no coincidence that those links dried up once Rangers completed the signing of another right-sided central defender in Fernandes.
Meite is, at least, set to finalise his departure from the Stade Velodrome on deadline day. According to L’Equipe, Montpellier are signing the 23-year-old Ivorian on a temporary deal, albeit with a pretty substantial £6.5 million loan fee.
To think, Montpellier are paying more for a few months of Meite than Rangers are likely to land Fernandes for should the 22-year-old stay for the long-term in Glasgow.
Ouest France add that Montpellier will have the option of signing Meite – the defender given his Marseille debut by Rangers icon Gennaro Gattuso – on a full-time basis should they stave off the threat of relegation from France’s top flight.
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Derek Ferguson wants another defender at Ibrox
The signing of Fernandes, and the sudden emergence of Clinton Nsiala, has certainly helped ease a defensive injury crisis at Ibrox. John Souttar is back available again, though Rangers were still without Leon Balogun, Neraysho Kasanwirjo and Dujon Sterling for Thursday’s Europa League clash with Union Saint-Gilloise.
Former Gers midfielder Derek Ferguson is still of the opinion that another defender would be welcome, particularly with Robin Propper yet to convince the masses.
“Rangers [need a] defender, a centre-back,” says Ferguson, a two-time Scottish Premiership champion in the 1980s. “They’re going to have a look at [Fernandes] over a period of six months.
“We are a bit short at the back for me.”
“There’s talk about Jefte going to Chelsea in the summer. Propper, for me, the physicality,” Ferguson adds. “He doesn’t enjoy the physicality. Nice football player if you’re playing a certain type of football [but] you need that [physicality]
“The boy Nsiala has come in, he’s been a breath of fresh air. But they need to address it.”
