John Bennett’s Rangers salvation could come in the shape of ‘outstanding’ £3.4m talent

 

John Bennett’s Rangers salvation could come in the shape of ‘outstanding’ £3.4m talent

 

Rangers’ summer rebuild could probably have done with going on another couple of weeks.

 

The Ibrox squad has been revamped under the stewardship of Philippe Clement, Nils Koppen and John Bennett this summer but there remains big questions around the work that’s been done.

 

 

 

 

And the work that hasn’t.

 

Several of the club’s most experienced players have moved on, whilst those youthful figures who’ve come in haven’t done enough to convince Rangers supporters of their credentials to date.

 

The pressure is rising, the scrutiny too, and Rangers manager Clement will soon feel the wrath if he cannot salvage some good feeling from a season careering towards a cliff edge.

 

But in the final hours of the summer window, with many on the jury already delivering their verdict, could the Ibrox leadership’s salvation have come in the shape of a £3.4m Albanian?

 

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Nedim Bajrami of Albania is challenged by Daniel Vivian of Spain during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Albania and Spain at D¸sseldor…

Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images

‘Outstanding’ Nedim Bajrami is a ‘big talent’

Rangers fans haven’t had much to cheer about in the last few weeks but excitement over the addition of Nedim Bajrami is certainly building.

 

The attacking midfielder has been impressing on international duties with Albanian media lauding Bajrami following the nation’s 2-1 win ‘away’ to Ukraine in the Czech Republic.

 

Now, it’s been the turn of Albania’s Brazilian coach Sylvinho to hail the ‘outstanding’ Nedim and according to the former Arsenal and Barcelona left-back, the Gers have a ‘big talent’ on their hands.

 

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These are comments which are building excitement amongst Rangers fans eager to see what Bajrami can bring to the squad.

 

“I thought the performance from Nedim Bajrami against Ukraine was outstanding,” Sylvinho said as quoted by the Daily Record. “He is clearly a big talent.

 

We were very satisfied with Bajrami’s performance, he can play in many roles for us.

 

“I have noticed that his all-round game has improved. He can do a lot with the ball.

 

“He helped us produce a really excellent result against a huge nation like Ukraine. We continue to improve and I think that was one of our best results in recent years.”

 

Rangers have no time to waste with £3.4m playmaker

Most Rangers fans had probably only heard of Nedim Bajrami once before his name started doing the rounds ahead of transfer deadline day.

 

The 25-year-old is famous for scoring the fastest goal in European Championships history at this summer’s tournament in Germany.

 

But beyond that, Rangers fans won’t have known much about the Swiss-born Albanian who is – for all intents and purposes – the Ibrox side’s marquee signing this summer.

 

The Gers signed off on the £4m+ deal to sign Mohamed Diomande in January, whilst the £1.7m spent on Hamza Igamane isn’t expected to see returns till a little further down the line.

 

Oscar Cortes is another loan-to-buy whose transfer appeal relies on the long-term.

 

So then it’s Nedim Bajrami, a £3.5m permanent signing (Sky Sports) from freshly relegated Serie B club Sassuolo, who is the club’s marquee addition.

 

Following last weekend’s disastrous 3-0 defeat to Celtic, Rangers fans are licking their wounds with scant optimism around a new-look team which has so far failed to stand up to any major test.

 

Out-of-form Hearts held the Gers to a 0-0 draw, the Champions League campaign was laughable for a number of reasons, the less said about Celtic Park the better.

 

But for a campaign which is promising so little, for the sounds around Nedim Bajrami to be so positive it offers a slither of hope for Rangers fans increasingly devoid of it.

 

With nothing to lose, fans will hope Philippe Clement wastes no time introducing the playmaker as Tom Lawrence stutters and Todd Cantwell bolts for the exit.

 

Ianis Hagi is also persona non grata whilst Alex Lowry is so far out of the picture he may as well still be on loan propping up the bench at Hearts.

 

Rangers are a club in dire need of a boost. They’re also a club who – for a multitude of reasons – have scarce resources.

 

Whilst Gers fans might’ve not known who Nedim Bajrami was a few weeks ago, it’s an expensive outlay and with the signing comes renewed optimism.

 

If it it all goes to plan, Bajrami could be the salvation of Rangers’ stuttering early season form.

 

But the playmaker also has the power to spare the shared reputations of Philippe Clement, Nils Koppen and John Bennett amongst a frustrated Ibrox support.

 

They’ll all be hoping that we hear the Albanian’s name reverberating around Ibrox when the club finally returns in the coming weeks.