Rangers could land instant Djiga upgrade in move for “dominant” 6 ft 5 star

Glasgow Rangers supporters will not want to watch back any of the goals that their side conceded in the 3-1 defeat at Ibrox on Tuesday night.

Put simply, Russell Martin’s team were nowhere good enough defensively throughout the match, not just including the goals conceded, as their Belgian opponents found it far too easy to carve them open.

Whilst it was not all on them, Nasser Djiga and John Souttar offered very little protection to Jack Butland with their work at the heart of the defence.

That was the case for the opening goal, after just three minutes, when the Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee inexplicably left the ball and allowed the forward to race through and lob Butland, who was not even close to coming out to sweep up in the first place.

The second and third goals that the Gers conceded were born out of very questionable defending, but the first goal was the worst of the lot, by a considerable margin.

Whether it was a lack of concentration or miscommunication with Butland, Djiga had a nightmare at the back for Rangers and is not building a very positive reputation for himself at Ibrox.

Why Nasser Djiga’s form is a concern for Rangers

The Wolves made a terrific start to his loan spell in Glasgow with an imperious debut against Panathinaikos in a 2-0 win at Ibrox in a Champions League qualifier last month.

Djiga made three clearances, two tackles, and one interception, whilst winning four of his five duels, per Sofascore, to keep a clean sheet for his team alongside Souttar.

Since that impressive debut against the Greek outfit, though, the Burkina Faso international has endured a rough time of things in the Scottish Premiership and the Champions League.

Djiga, as shown in the clip above, did not step up in time to catch Finlay Robertson offside and then brought the attacker down before he could go through one-on-one against Butland.

As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old defender has also struggled in the last two starts for the Gers, losing seven of his nine duels against Viktoria Plzen before his inexplicable error against Club Brugge on Tuesday night.

The former Red Star Belgrade giant’s form is a concern because he has not provided the defensive solidity that Martin should want from him alongside Souttar at the back, either in the Premiership or the Champions League.

With the untested Emmanuel Fernandez being the only central defender in reserve to compete with Djiga and Souttar, the Light Blues may want to go back into the market to bring in another option in that area of the park.

It was reported last month that the Scottish giants were considering a swoop to sign Volendam central defender Xavier Mbuyamba, but it remains to be seen whether or not they still have an interest in the 6 foot 5 titan.

The report at the time claimed that the Eredivisie stopper was ‘hoping’ for a transfer to Ibrox, though, which suggests that he would be interested in the move if Rangers decide to make an approach before the end of the summer transfer window.

Mbuyamba also has one year left on his contract with Volendam, per Transfermarkt, and this means that the Dutch side may not be able to demand a significant fee for his services, as they run the risk of losing him for nothing in 2026.

Why Rangers should sign Xavier Mbuyamba

With this in mind, the Gers should push to bring the 23-year-old star to Ibrox before the deadline passes at the start of September to bolster their options in the centre-back position.

Mbuyamba’s form for Volendam in recent seasons, and how he has started the current campaign, suggests that the former Chelsea youngster has the potential to be an instant upgrade on Djiga on the right side of the centre-back pairing.

The Dutch titan helped Volendam to win promotion back to the Eredivisie in the 2024/25 campaign, after they were relegated from the top-flight, whilst the Rangers target missed most of the 2023/24 season through injury.

Prior to his injury issues two seasons ago, Mbuyamba had shown that he had the quality to deliver quality defensive performances in the top division, which meant that it was not a surprise when he dominated the second tier last term.

As you can see in the table above, the Dutchman produced dominant displays full of defensive interventions in both of those seasons with Volendam, whilst also showcasing a goal threat from centre-back.

Mbuyamba has also won 69% of his duels and made 15 clearances, five blocks, and five tackles in two appearances in the Eredivisie so far in the current campaign, per Sofascore, which shows that he has been incredibly dominant and active defensively with key interventions.

Djiga, meanwhile, has lost 60% of his ground duels in the Premiership this season and lost 67% of his duels in the Premier League for Wolves in the second half of last season, which shows that he has not been strong enough in one-on-one battles with opposition forwards in 2025.

These statistics suggest that Mbuyamba, who was once hailed as “complete” and “dominant” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has the potential to be way more effective in defensive duels than the Burkina Faso international.

Therefore, Rangers could sign an instant upgrade on Djiga by signing the 6 foot 5 titan, who has proven himself at the top level in the Netherlands, to offer a more reliable presence at the heart of the defence as a dominant enforcer ahead of Butland.