Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin has confirmed that the club are looking to bring in more signings before the end of the summer transfer window.
The likes of Nasser Djiga, Thelo Aasgaard, Joe Rothwell, Oliver Antman, and Djeidi Gassama, among others, have already arrived at Ibrox, but the former Scotland international wants more.
This means that Gers supporters still have plenty to look forward to before September’s deadline, as the Light Blues look to build a squad that is capable of competing for the Scottish Premiership title.
One area that the Scottish giants are looking to add more quality to is centre-back, despite having already brought in Emmanuel Fernandez and Djiga this summer.
Rangers lining up move for new defender
A fresh report has emerged linking the Light Blues with a move for a new left-sided defensive option, who could come in as Martin’s own version of Russell Martin.
According to RangersReview journalist Chris Jack, Rangers are lining up a move to sign Real Betis central defender Nobel Mendy this summer.
The reporter claims, however, that a deal is not ‘imminent’ for the left-footed titan, which suggests that the Gers are not close to bringing him to Ibrox, despite the club’s interest in snapping the youngster up to bolster their defensive ranks.
It was reported earlier this month that Real Betis are looking for a fee in the region of £3.4m for the 20-year-old talent, and it remains to be seen if the Light Blues are willing to meet the asking price.
What Nobel Mendy could bring to Rangers
The Real Betis defender could be a shrewd addition to the squad to fill a hole in the squad, as Rangers will not have a left-footed centre-back in the squad if Ben Davies and Clinton Nsiala, who have not been involved in the games so far, leave.
Ridvan Yilmaz moving on would also leave Jefte as the only left-footed left-back option in the group, which means that a left-footed defender who can play left-back and centre-back would be perfect.
Bassey fulfilled that role perfectly for Rangers during his time at the club. The Gers swooped to sign him from Leicester City as a youngster, and he really made his breakthrough under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the 2021/22 campaign, playing at left-back and centre-back almost alternatively.
|
Calvin Bassey’s positional flexibility for Rangers |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Appearances (all competitions) |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Left-back |
35 |
0 |
4 |
|
Centre-back |
27 |
1 |
2 |
|
Left-midfield |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Mendy, who was hailed as “strong and powerful” by writer Kai Watson, is a left-footed centre-back who can also play as a left-back, according to Transfermarkt.
This suggests that the 6 foot 2 colossus has the potential to be Bassey 2.0 for the Gers as another powerful, young, and versatile left-footed talent who can cover at left-back and centre-back when needed.
He has only played six matches at senior level for Real Betis, winning 100% of his duels in two LaLiga games last term, and that makes it difficult to gauge where the youngster is at from a quality perspective.
However, Rangers must see something in him if they are interested in bringing the defender to Ibrox for a potential fee of £3.4m, so their scouting work must have identified his quality in his academy performances in Spain.
Therefore, Mendy could arrive at Ibrox with the potential to be Bassey 2.0 for the club as another young and versatile star who could cover two positions, which would prevent the Gers from having to sign two separate players to fill those gaps in the squad.
