Confirmed: Rangers confirm Leicester City no.9 will join the Ibrox club in the summer as Gers set new Scottish transfer record to acquire his services

Confirmed: Rangers confirm Leicester City no.9 will join the Ibrox club in the summer as Gers set new Scottish transfer record to acquire his services

Glasgow Rangers still have a realistic chance of winning a triple this season after their Hampden exploits over the weekend.

The Light Blues glided to a 2-0 victory after a three-game losing streak,

but they are guilty of failing to capitalise on their opportunities,

as the scoreboard might have been five or six if Philippe Clement had players who didn’t require three or four chances to score.

This is possibly an area he will investigate further during the summer transfer window as he seeks to improve his offensive options.

Might the Belgian coach be working his magic already, however? It looks that the Gers are interested in signing a Premier League player.

Rangers Transfer News

Journalist Graeme Bailey provided an update on the club’s efforts to recruit winger Abdallah Sima on a permanent basis this summer, stating:

“Rangers are in pole position to sign Abdallah Sima on a permanent basis as Brighton prepare to sell the attacker this summer.

“The 22 year old wants to stay at Rangers after his loan spell.”

Much will depend on how much Brighton demand for the player, especially given his form this season,

but it appears that he has every intention of staying in Glasgow if a deal can be worked out,

with Rangers News reporting that Ibrox is his ‘preferred destination’.

It is not the first time the Ibrox club has sought to sign a winger on a permanent basis following a successful loan term;

Ryan Kent did so five years ago in a similar method.

How much did Rangers pay for Ryan Kent?

Steven Gerrard used his Liverpool connections to secure the services of Kent for the 2018/19 season,

and the decision proved to be a masterstroke.

Overall, the kid appeared in 43 matches in all competitions, scoring six goals and assisting nine times,

establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s most dynamic players.

Kent endeared himself to Ibrox fans by scoring against Celtic near the end of the season, as calls to sign him permanently grew.

The transfer saga lasted the entire summer,

until Gerrard revealed Rangers had spent roughly £7.5 million to bring him back to Glasgow on deadline day.

Over the next four seasons, Kent would thrill and enrage fans in equal measure.

Ryan Kent’s Rangers stats

Kent had 12 goal contributions in his rookie season, including eight goals and four assists,

however the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 epidemic, which brought sport to a halt around the world.

The following season, the Englishman was at his best,

scoring 13 goals and assisting 14 times as the Gers won their first league title in a decade.

This should have been a stage for Kent to step up his game to a new level by helping the club reach the Champions League group stages,

yet his final two seasons at Ibrox failed to produce the goods on a regular basis.

Ryan Kent’s stats at Rangers
Season	Games	Goals	Assists
2022/23	44	3	10
2021/22	46	3	19
2020/21	52	13	14
2019/20	34	8	4
2018/19	43	6	9
Via Transfermarkt

During those two seasons, he only scored six goals in 90 appearances.

Based on his stats from the previous two seasons, this wasn’t good enough.

Kent left the club for free after five years in Scotland, as his contract expired at the end of last season.

Sima has delivered more consistently throughout his loan stay than the former Liverpool starlet,

implying that he could become Kent 2.0 for the Gers.

Abdallah Sima’s current market value.

Sima is presently rated at €7.2 million (£6 million) by Football Transfers,

although Clement may have to wait and see how much the Seagulls would ask for the winger.

He certainly has the potential to be  a solid acquisition, especially now he has experience in Scotland,

while his goal tally suggests he can be a major threat in the final third.

Furthermore, the Senegalese gem has the potential to replace Rabbi Matondo as the primary left flank option during the 2024/25 season.

Abdallah Sima could be an enhancement over Rabbi Matondo.

Matondo has had a decent season after a goalless debut in Glasgow.

Despite being used as an impact substitute since Christmas, the Welsh gem has six goals and four assists in all competitions.

Matondo scored fantastic goals against Hibs and Celtic in recent weeks,

but Sima has outscored him by 12 goals this season and appears to be a greater threat when he starts a game.

Sima ranks third among his Premier League teammates in terms of goals and assists (13),

shots per game (three), and successful dribbles per game (1.3), demonstrating his lethal attacking abilities.

In comparison, Matondo is ranked sixth in the top flight for goals and assists (eight),

ninth for shots per game (1.7), and fourth for successful dribbles per game (1.2).

These statistics show how significant the former Manchester City kid has been recently, but Sima is a more versatile choice overall.

The Rangers Journal, written by writer Kai Watson, praised the winger for putting in a “incredible” effort throughout his games,

and Clement missed him when he was off for a few months due to an injury sustained while on international service.

Sima was unleashed in the starting XI against Hearts in the Scottish Cup semi-final to cause havoc among the opposing backline,

but he was forced to be replaced after only 15 minutes due to another injury.

Clement acknowledged it was another hamstring issue, saying: “We want to have Abdallah back in the next few weeks because he’s been incredibly essential in the period when he was fit, and he’s returning now. So, we’ll see.

If he can return to the side in the next couple of weeks, it could give Rangers a massive boost heading into the Scottish Cup final.

Who knows, perhaps he will make a return to the Ibrox side next season if everything goes to plan.

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