Rangers must swoop for “complete” £7m star

Glasgow Rangers are back in action in the Champions League again this evening as they prepare to take on Viktoria Plzen in the first leg of their third-round qualifier at Ibrox.

The Light Blues will once again be without summer signing Thelo Aasgaard, who has yet to make his debut for the club, after Russell Martin confirmed that he is out injured, alongside Moroccan forward Hamza Igamane.

Signed from Luton Town last month, the Norway international has been injured for all three of the club’s competitive games so far this season, with tonight being the fourth match that he will miss.

There is a new signing who could make his debut for the Scottish Premiership giants this evening, though, as Oliver Antman has arrived on a permanent deal from Go Ahead Eagles.

Rangers have reportedly agreed a deal worth up to £4m to bring the Finland international to Ibrox, but what can supporters expect from the right-sided attacker?

What Oliver Antman could bring to Rangers

The 23-year-old forward is a creative and forward-thinking player who constantly looks to open up the opposition’s defence to create high-quality chances for his teammates.

Sporting director Kevin Thelwell described him as an “exciting talent who has demonstrated great technical ability and maturity at a young age”, which is backed up by his form for Go Ahead Eagles in the Eredivisie last season.

The Finnish wing wizard ended the season with a return of seven goals and 17 assists in all competitions for the Dutch side. It does not take a genius to work out what his main strength is as a player from that haul of goal contributions; he’s a creator.

As you can see in the table above, Antman created 16 ‘big chances’ in just 28 starts in the Eredivisie for Go Ahead Eagles last term, which suggests that he could be an incredibly creative force for Martin on the right wing with his deliveries into the box.

However, the winger also only managed six goals from 6.99 xG in those 28 starts. This suggests that Gers supporters should expect a few big misses in front of goal from the forward, who has not proven himself to be clinical with the chances that come his way.

It is also worth noting that Antman is coming over from the Dutch top-flight and has not experienced Scottish football before, which means that there is no guarantee that he can translate his performances over to the Premiership.

If he can adapt to the country and the league, though, then Rangers will have an exciting winger who could create plenty of chances for the team this season.

The Light Blues, however, could land an even bigger signing for the team than Antman by signing a proven Premiership performer who could come in and hit the ground running at Ibrox.

Rangers have been linked with an interest in Girona centre-forward Bojan Miovski, who left Aberdeen to move to Spain for a reported fee of £7m last year, and the Macedonia international would come in as a terrific addition to the squad if they could get a deal over the line.

Why Rangers should sign Bojan Miovski

Martin and Thelwell should push to bring the left-footed number nine back to Scotland and the Premiership before the end of the summer transfer window at the start of September.

This is because Miovski is a proven star who has been there and done it over multiple seasons in the Scottish top-flight, which means that he would not be a risky signing like Antman, who may or may not adapt to the league.

The 26-year-old star only managed four goals in 22 matches for Girona in all competitions during the 2024/25 campaign, but his form in the previous two seasons with Aberdeen is what the Gers should be focused on.

Miovski scored 44 goals in 98 matches in all competitions for the Dons during his two-year spell at the club, which is an impressive return that works out at just under a goal every other game.

The £7m-rated centre-forward also proved himself in the biggest games in Scotland. He scored four goals in nine matches against Rangers and three goals in seven outings against Celtic in those two seasons, which shows that the forward stepped up to produce quality against the top two teams in the division.

Miovski has been there and done it against the two Old Firm clubs and has shown that he can deliver in the biggest games, hence why he would be such a huge signing for Rangers.

Cyriel Dessers has only scored two goals in ten games against Celtic for Rangers, compared to the former Aberdeen star’s return of three in seven against the Hoops, which suggests that Martin could increase his side’s chances of winning the Old Firm clashes by signing the Girona forward.

As you can see in the table above, Miovski scored 32 goals in two Premiership seasons with the Dons, and he could have scored even more if opposition goalkeepers had not been in top form.

His xG on target (the xG value of the quality of shot taken) was higher than his xG in both campaigns, which essentially means that the quality of his attempts on goal outweighed the quality of chances that were created for him.

This suggests that Miovski, who was once dubbed a “complete number 9” by journalist Josh Bunting, is a ruthless and clinical striker who can more than make the most of the chances that come his way.

All of this put together is why the Macedonia international would be an even bigger signing for Rangers than Antman, because he is a Premiership and Celtic proven goalscorer who can hit the ground running as an instant star.

Antman may need time to adapt to the league and the culture in Scotland, and there is no guarantee that he will be able to do that, which is why he is a far riskier signing who may not be able to bring the level of quality that Miovski would guarantee.