Rangers are in talks to sign £30k-p/w PL talent

Glasgow Rangers are not in the position they want to be in. They failed to qualify for the Champions League, dropping into the Europa League, and are yet to win their first game in the Scottish Premiership.

A clash with their city rivals on Sunday does not provide much hope that the first win in the league campaign will come before the first international break, particularly after a 6-0 thumping against Club Brugge.

Despite some supporters calling for the club to take action on the head coach, Russell Martin has the backing of the board and will be in the dugout at Ibrox this weekend.

The Light Blues board are doing more than just backing the former Southampton boss with their word, too, as they are making moves in the transfer market to improve the team.

Rangers have reportedly agreed a deal with Girona to sign Macedonia international Bojan Miovski in a permanent deal that could be worth up to £4.2m.

The centre-forward is set to undergo a medical with the Scottish giants on Friday before his official unveiling, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to play a part against Celtic.

What Bojan Miovski will bring to Rangers

With Hamza Igamane due to sign for French side Lille, Rangers needed to add more goals to their team before the end of the summer transfer window on Monday.

The Morocco international scored 12 goals in the Scottish Premiership in the 2024/25 campaign, whilst playing on the left flank or through the middle as a striker, and Miovski is the calibre of player who can replace the goals that they are set to lose through Igamane’s exit.

His form for Aberdeen in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons shows that the left-footed number nine knows how to score goals on a regular basis in Scottish football, and that he may not need much time to get going at Ibrox, as the forward is already used to the country and league.

Miovski, who also has experience of scoring at Ibrox against Rangers, plundered 32 goals in two seasons in the Premiership with the Dons, per Sofascore.

As you can see in the table above, his xG on target was higher than his xG in both of his seasons in the division, which shows that he is a clinical striker who can consistently produce high-quality shots on goal.

This is why this signing could be perfect for Rangers in their hunt to replace the goals that they will lose with Igamane’s move to Lille in the coming days.

Rangers in talks to sign Premier League talent

Miovski may not be the only signing to come through the door before the deadline, though, as the club are looking at another experienced talent who could be just as important as the striker.

According to journalist Santi Aouna, Glasgow Rangers are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign goalkeeper Illan Meslier from Leeds United this summer.

The report claims that the Scottish giants are in talks with the Premier League side over a possible move for the Frenchman, although it is unclear if the discussions are centred around a loan or a permanent transfer.

Aouna adds, though, that Valencia and Lorient are also interested in signing the left-footed stopper, which means that there is plenty of competition for his signature.

Valencia are said to have made him their number one target, but must first sell Stole Dimitrievski, and Lorient have already made their first offer to Leeds.

Why Meslier could be an important signing for Rangers

At face value, it would be understandable if this is a link that does not generate much excitement from supporters. Ultimately, Meslier is currently the third choice at Elland Road after being dropped towards the end of last season.

The 25-year-old goalkeeper conceded 2.73 goals more than expected, based on the xG against him, in the Championship last term, which shows that he was not good enough as a shot-stopper despite his haul of 21 clean sheets, per Sofascore.

However, there are other aspects of Meslier’s game that could be well-suited to what Rangers need between the sticks, particularly if they continue to back Martin as the head coach, and he could be just as important as Miovski.

Because of the way that the defence is set up, the Gers need a goalkeeper who is proactive when coming off his line and willing to come out to sweep outside of the box as well as coming out to collect crosses.

The goal above, whilst not being solely Jack Butland’s fault, shows that the Rangers number one is not comfortable playing the role that is being asked of him, as he got caught between staying and coming out.

Butland is an old-fashioned goalkeeper who sticks to his line and looks to make saves, rather than being amazing with the ball at his feet or in other areas of goalkeeping, which may be why Meslier could be an upgrade on him, despite his flaws as a shot-stopper.

As you can see in the table above, the Leeds outcast could be just as important as Miovski for Rangers because he could also arrive as an upgrade in a key position for Martin.

The £30k-per-week gem appears to have the mentality and the quality to perform far better than Butland as a sweeper-keeper for the Gers, whilst also enjoying a much higher save success rate and claiming a higher percentage of the crosses into his box.

This means that he may prevent Rangers from facing as many shots as they currently are by coming off his line to stop crosses from reaching attackers and through balls from creating chances out wide or through the middle.

Therefore, Meslier could be a very important signing to make the style more effective from a defensive perspective, just as is the case with Miovski from an attacking perspective.