Rangers preparing offer to sign “outstanding” £12m star

Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin is already feeling the heat of the Ibrox fire after only a month or so of competitive matches in charge of the club.

The Light Blues boss is managing away from Ibrox this evening, though, as his team looks to overcome a 3-1 deficit to qualify for the Champions League against Club Brugge.

Martin has won just three of his nine matches in charge of the club to date and the most recent clash with St Mirren did not do much to help his relationship with the fanbase.

The former Scotland international needed a deflected effort from distance from substitute Findlay Curtis to rescue a point for the team in the Scottish Premiership clash.

There were a number of players who put in concerning performances across the park in that draw, and it was not solely Martin’s system or tactics that were to blame.

Summer signing Emmanuel Fernandez started alongside John Souttar at the heart of the defence, with Nasser Djiga suspended, but question marks remain over his suitability for the team.

Why there are question marks over Emmanuel Fernandez

The Light Blues brought the English centre-back in from League One side Peterborough United for a fee of £3.5m, but it remains to be seen whether or not he has what it takes to be a regular starter for Martin.

In the draw with St Mirren, you could see the positives and negatives to his style of play. His towering frame meant that he was able to dominate the opposition forwards in physical contests, winning all seven of his aerial battles and five of his eight ground duels, per Sofascore.

However, he also appeared almost too relaxed and laid back at points, with opposition players able to get in behind him or get to balls first before a duel could even be contested.

That approach to defending and playing in possession may be why he was prone to the occasional error during his time at Peterborough in the third tier of English football last season.

As you can see in the table above, Fernandez was largely dominant in his duels on the ground and in the air, as you would expect from a centre-back with his physical attributes.

Two errors that led to shots or goals for the opposition and two red cards, in the third division against lower quality opposition, do not suggest that he is immediately ready to be a reliable figure for Rangers in big games in Europe or against Celtic.

Fernandez appears to have too many lapses in concentration at the moment, which was also the case when he switched off and allowed his forward to score from a yard out, uncontested, against Alloa Athletic in the League Cup earlier this month.

Rangers plotting move for Premier League defender

Supporters may, therefore, be pleased to learn that the club are reportedly keen on signing another defender who could come in as an instant upgrade on Fernandez.

According to The Scottish Sun, Rangers are interested in a deal to sign Bournemouth centre-back Chris Mepham to bolster their options at the heart of the defence.

The report claims that the Light Blues are preparing to make an offer to bring the Wales international up to Ibrox, as he only has one year left on his contract at the Vitality Stadium.

It adds that Mepham is surplus to requirements with Andoni Iraola’s Premier League side, and that the Cherries are ‘keen’ to move him on before the summer transfer window slams shut next week.

Bournemouth signed the Welsh titan for a fee of £12m from Brentford in 2019, but the report claims that the Gers could bid in an attempt to land a cut-price deal for the defender.

UPDATE: Fabrizio Romano has since reported that West Bromwich Albion are closing in on a deal to sign the defender after agreeing a fee with Bournemouth, which means that the Scottish giants are going to have to move incredibly quickly if they want to hijack this transfer.

Why Rangers should sign Chris Mepham

Rangers should be pushing to make sure that they can get a deal done for Mepham before the deadline next Monday because he could come in as an instant upgrade on Fernandez.

The 27-year-old star would arrive at Ibrox in the prime years of his career as a centre-back who can be expected to hit the ground running and deliver reliable performances from day one.

Mepham has only been sent off twice in over 200 matches at club level, including just once in the last four seasons, per Transfermarkt, and this shows that he may not be as rash or inexperienced as Fernandez, who saw red twice last season.

The Wales international also played domestic football in the division above the one that Fernandez played in during the 2024/25 campaign, earning promotion to the Premier League with Sunderland on loan, whilst the English defender failed to get promoted out of League One.

As you can see in the table above, the Black Cats loanee excelled in possession in Regis Le Bris’ side in the Championship, ranking highly in a host of metrics.

This suggests that he would be a good fit for what Rangers are trying to do because he has the passing ability from a centre-back position to find teammates in dangerous positions on a regular basis, potentially helping his side to break down low blocks more effectively than Rangers have done so far.

Speaking about Mepham, Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil said: “But I have to give big credit to Chris Mepham as well. He’s been outstanding this season on and off the pitch. Off the pitch he’s brought the squad together like you wouldn’t believe.”

This speaks to both the quality of his performances and the kind of character and leadership that the centre-back could provide Rangers with. Given the poor start to the season and the growing frustration around the results, having an experienced leader like Mepham could be a real boost for Martin and the squad.

On top of his in-possession qualities and leadership skills, the Welsh colossus can also be a dominant presence at the back in the same way that Fernandez is, having won 59% of his duels in the Championship last term, per Sofascore.

Therefore, Rangers could land an instant upgrade on Fernandez by signing Mepham to provide the same level of physicality whilst offering more to the team in possession and as a leadership figure, with more reliable and consistent performances.