Glasgow Rangers central midfielder Joe Rothwell appears to be heading for a quick exit from Ibrox, just months after joining on a permanent deal from Bournemouth in the summer.
The Daily Record reports that Sheffield United are confident that they can get a deal over the line to sign the 30-year-old midfielder when the January transfer window opens.
Chris Wilder’s side are pushing to land the former Leeds and Southampton loanee, who has not featured for Rangers in the Scottish Premiership since October.
The experienced flop has only started five league games, per Sofascore, and has failed to establish himself as a regular in the middle of the park since the new manager came through the door.
Rangers want to sign new central midfielder
Rothwell’s move to Sheffield United, should that go through next month, would create the space in the squad for Danny Rohl to bring in a signing of his own to replace him.
According to TEAMtalk, Glasgow Rangers are ready to sanction an exit for Rothwell because they have identified a player who could come in as his replacement.
The report claims that the Gers want to sign Tromso central midfielder Jens Hjerto-Dahl to replace the experienced Englishman in the January transfer window.
It adds that the Light Blues have been impressed by his performances this season, having sent scouts to watch him in action, and now they want to add him to their squad.
TEAMtalk reveals that a fee of around £5m will be required to convince Tromso to part ways with the talented youngster, who would come in as a perfect upgrade on Rothwell.
Why Rangers should sign Jens Hjerto-Dahl
Rangers Journal creator and analyst Kai Watson described Hjerto-Dahl as “one of the biggest talents in Norway” and stated that it would be a “huge coup” for the club to bring him to Ibrox in January.
The 20-year-old star’s form in the Eliteserien in the 2025 campaign suggests that he would come in as a big upgrade on what Rothwell has offered in midfield for the Gers so far, and backs up Watson’s claim that he is a big talent.
Hjerto-Dahl was a regular starter for Tromso in the 2024 and 2025 Eliteserien campaigns, despite the fact that he only turned 20 in October, which speaks to how big a talent he is, as his club have viewed him as a key first-team player since he was 17.
As Rohl looks to the future at Ibrox, signing a 20-year-old starlet who has plenty of upside as a replacement for a 30-year-old dud who has failed to make an impact at Rangers makes perfect sense.
Rothwell has not delivered enough quality on the pitch for the Scottish giants this season in the Premiership, which is in stark contrast to Hjerto-Dahl’s form for Tromso this year.
|
Stats |
Hjerto-Dahl (2025 Eliteserien) |
Rothwell (25/26 Premiership) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
30 |
8 |
|
Goals |
4 |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
5 |
2 |
|
Assists |
4 |
1 |
|
Dribbles completed per game |
1.3 |
0.5 |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
2.5 |
1.9 |
|
Duels won per game |
5.0 |
2.0 |
As you can see in the table above, the Norwegian talent’s form in 2025 suggests that he would come in as a massive upgrade on what Rothwell has provided on the pitch for the Gers so far.
Hjerto-Dahl appears to be capable of offering more in front of goal, as both a scorer and a creator of goals, whilst also being more combative in his duels, tackles, and interceptions to win the ball back for his side.
These statistics suggest that the £5.3m-rated star would significantly improve the squad as a replacement for Rothwell in the short-term, if he can adapt to Scottish football and translate his form from the Eliteserien over to the Premiership.
Hjerto-Dahl, who once scored the beautiful goal in the clip above, is also ten years younger than Rothwell, who is 30, which means that he has far more time left to develop and improve as a player.
The Norwegian star, therefore, would be a perfect upgrade on Rothwell because he has the potential to be an immediate improvement on the Englishman with what he can offer in the second half of the season, whilst also having many more years left to get even better.
Rohl must drop Fernandez & “rotten” Rangers flop who belong in Caixinha era
Danny Rohl should drop this Glasgow Rangers duo who belong in the Pedro Caixinha era after their performances against Ferencvaros.
This is why the Gers should push hard to make Hjerto-Dahl one of Rohl’s first signings at Ibrox, after allowing Rothwell to join Sheffield United next month.
