Rangers in race to land deal for “powerful” £4m-rated star

It is fair to say that the mood among the Glasgow Rangers fanbase is less than optimistic after the opening few weeks of the 2025/26 campaign under Russell Martin.

Two draws in two Scottish Premiership matches, a 2-1 defeat to Viktoria Plzen away from home, two goals conceded at home to Alloa, and, most recently, a 3-1 drubbing against Club Brugge at Ibrox.

There are, quite simply, a lot of reasons not to be positive for the future under Martin at Rangers, although it is still very early days and there is plenty of time left for this season to still be a success.

The summer transfer window is still open for business, for example, and that provides the Light Blues with an opportunity to dip into the market to improve their squad in the next couple of weeks.

One player that the Gers should be looking to upgrade on in that time is Brazilian centre-forward Danilo, despite his goal in the 3-1 loss to Club Brugge on Tuesday night.

Rangers may need a reliable number nine if they want to win trophies and enjoy a successful season this term, and the former Feyenoord man has yet to prove that he can be that player.

Why Rangers need to replace Danilo

Danilo’s goal from close range against Club Brugge helped to mask what was a largely unimpressive performance from the 26-year-old attacker aside from that.

The former Ajax man only won one duel and completed seven passes in 61 minutes on the pitch as the main number nine for Rangers, per Sofascore, which shows that he was not offering enough of a presence up front to hold onto the ball or bring his teammates into the game.

Danilo has produced one goal and one assist in six appearances in all competitions so far this term, per Sofascore, which shows that he has not been consistently delivering in front of goal to make up for the deficiencies in his all-round game.

The Brazilian forward has also only scored nine goals in 35 appearances in the Scottish Premiership for the Light Blues since his move from Feyenoord in the summer of 2023.

As you can see in the table above, his availability has been severely restricted by injury issues throughout his time at Ibrox, missing 53 games in his first two seasons at the club.

Therefore, the Light Blues could do with bringing in a striker who is more likely to be reliable, from a fitness and quality perspective, than Danilo has been in the past two years or so.

Supporters should be pleased to read that the Gers are now interested in a striker who could come in as an upgrade on the number 99, who Kris Boyd stated is not “working” for Martin.

Rangers in the race to sign LaLiga forward

According to El Chiringuito TV, Glasgow Rangers are one of a number of teams in the race to sign Villarreal centre-forward Karl Etta Eyong before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the LaLiga outfit have already turned down an offer from Swansea to take the 21-year-old striker on a season-long loan.

It adds that Leeds United, Rangers, and Levante are also interested in signing the Cameroonian marksman to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.

The Villarreal youngster is valued at around £4m by Transfermarkt, but it is unclear as to how much the Spanish side would demand to sell him to Rangers this summer.

Why Rangers should push to sign Etta Eyong

The Light Blues should be pushing to win the race to land an Ibrox deal for Etta Eyong this summer, whether that is on loan or on a permanent deal, because he could be a big upgrade on Danilo.

His durability plays a huge role in that assessment because the young forward has not had any notable injuries in his senior career, per Transfermarkt, and may be more reliable for the Gers from an availability perspective.

The 21-year-old starlet’s performances on the pitch for Villarreal’s B team and first-team in the past 12 months or so also suggest that he could be an upgrade on Danilo because of the quality that he can offer in front of goal.

Etta Eyong has scored two goals in five matches in LaLiga for Villarreal and found the back of the net against Premier League opposition in Arsenal and Leeds in pre-season, per Sofascore, after earning the senior call-up because of his outstanding form for the B team.

As you can see in the table above, the £4m-rated centre-forward was a prolific scorer in the third tier of Spanish football last season, with 21 goal contributions in 30 games, which earned him a place in the senior set-up.

A return of two goals in five games in LaLiga since his call-up to the first-team also shows that he is not out of place in one of Europe’s major leagues, which is why he could be an excellent signing for Rangers in the Premiership.

Etta Eyong, who has been described as a “powerful” striker by analyst Kai Watson, carries more of a physical presence than Danilo, having won 7.7 duels per game for Villarreal’s B team last term.

This suggests that he can put himself about to cause problems for opposition defenders in physical battles, which is something that Rangers are not getting from the Brazilian at the moment.

Therefore, Etta Eyong could come in as a big upgrade on Danilo because of his durability, his goalscoring prowess, and his physical profile in the number nine position, which is why signing him could be a shrewd move by the club.