Rangers must sign “tenacious” £5m star

Glasgow Rangers have not been messing about in the summer transfer window in an attempt to ensure that Russell Martin has a quality group to work with.

The Scottish Premiership giants announced their latest summer signing on Thursday morning, confirming the arrival of Mikey Moore from Tottenham Hotspur.

Speaking about his new signing, Martin told the club’s official website: “His profile as a brave, aggressive attacking player is one that we were keen to add to the squad, and he is certainly a player who, despite his age, can make an impact on the team from day one.”

The 17-year-old will be hoping for a successful first season out on loan at first-team level, but he is not the only left-sided forward who is looking to make an impact on the pitch for the Gers.

Djeidi Gassama joined on a permanent deal from Sheffield Wednesday earlier this summer and may compete with Moore for a starting position in the team this term.

Why Gassama and Moore are exciting signings for Rangers

The 21-year-old has already got supporters excited about what he could do on the pitch for the Light Blues this season with his cameos against Panathinaikos across both legs of their second round Champions League qualifier.

Gassama scored in both games, at Ibrox and in Greece, and his strike on Wednesday was particularly important because it came just seven minutes after Panathinaikos had taken the lead on the night.

The French winger did only manage eight goals and one assist in 46 appearances in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign for Sheffield Wednesday, though, so it is still down to him to prove that he can deliver consistently in front of goal.

His two goals in two games so far, though, make him an exciting prospect moving forward, as Gers fans will be hoping that he can offer a big threat as a scorer on a regular basis.

Moore, meanwhile, has even more to prove at Ibrox because he has only scored one senior goal for Spurs, but his form at youth level shows that there is the potential for him to be an incredibly exciting winger for Martin if he can find his feet in Glasgow.

As you can see in the table above, the 17-year-old star has been sensational at youth level for England and Spurs, but it is now down to him to take this opportunity to explode on the senior scene with Rangers.

Whilst both Moore and Gassama are exciting signings because of what they have the potential to be, the Gers could land an even more exciting signing than both of them by bringing in Salvatore Esposito.

Rangers have been linked with an interest in the £5m-rated Spezia star, but it remains to be seen whether or not they will make an official move for the Italy international before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.

Why Rangers must sign Salvatore Esposito

The Light Blues must be pushing to do a deal for the 24-year-old star because he would be an even more exciting signing than both Gassama and Moore.

Unlike both of those young wingers, the Italian central midfielder has proven his ability to both score and assist goals on a regular basis, having delivered impressive performances in the Serie B last season.

The Spezia sensation scored seven goals, created 18 ‘big chances’, and delivered nine assists in the regular Serie B season, as well as another assist in two play-off matches.

Meanwhile, Gassama recorded nine goal contributions with Sheffield Wednesday, and Mikey Moore managed three with Spurs, which means that Esposito was directly involved in more goals in Italy than the two wingers were in England combined.

The £5m-rated star, who was described as “tenacious” and “elegant” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is a player who has the quality and performances at senior level behind him to come in as a very exciting signing for the Gers.

Because Esposito has already proven himself at a respectable level in Italy, he would arrive at Ibrox with a weight of expectation and excitement around him, as a player who the supporters can reasonably expect to score and create goals on a fairly regular basis.

As you can see in the table above, the Spezia central midfielder also provided quality out of possession to go along with his very impressive contributions at the top end of the pitch.

Mohamed Diomande and Nicolas Raskin both failed to win more than 6.6 duels per game in the Premiership, which suggests that Esposito could provide even more of a physical presence in the middle of the park for Martin.

This furthers the belief that the Serie B talent would be an exciting signing for the Gers because he is a well-rounded midfielder who could win fans over by winning duels, recovering possessions, scoring goals, and providing assists.

Two years ago, Esposito also showed his potential to be a threat from set-pieces with a fantastic goal against AC Milan in the Serie A, and was described as a “set-piece specialist” by Jacek Kulig.

Overall, supporters could be even more excited by the prospect of watching him play than Moore and Gassama, who still have a lot to prove, as he has put in the performances on the pitch to suggest that he would be a brilliant all-round midfield star for Martin.

It is now down to the club to strike a deal to bring the central midfielder to Ibrox before the summer transfer window ends at the start of September.