Rangers
Report states Rangers have ‘concrete interest’ in signing West Ham United defender
According to reports, Rangers are interested in acquiring a Premier League player who they believe will be James Tavernier’s “long-term successor.”
After taking home just one domestic championship in the previous season, the Light Blues are about to start yet another massive roster reconstruction this summer.
Although Philippe Clement did a fantastic job leading the club that Michael Beale left behind in October, Celtic lost the Scottish Premiership championship in the end.
Rangers’ 2023–24 campaign came to an end when they lost to their fiercest rivals in the Scottish Cup Final, adding to their already immense suffering. It’s time to overhaul the first team’s roster in its entirety.
The signing of Jefte marked the beginning of that process, and it was subsequently followed by the departures of Jon McLaughlin, Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack, John Lundstram, and Kemar Roofe.
These exits will free up a large portion of the salary budget that Clement and football director Nils Koppen require in order to bring in enough reinforcements to mount a meaningful title challenge the following season.
Rangers have previously been connected to a very long list of people. And now, a defender for West Ham United who perhaps Gers supporters recognise has surfaced once more.
In January, Ben Johnson was linked to a move to Glasgow, and he was also reportedly being pursued by Leeds United and Sheffield United.
In the end, nothing happened. However, since the beginning of May, there have been fresh rumours connecting Johnson to the Rangers; in fact, The Athletic even stated that negotiations had taken place.
Leeds and Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace are reportedly still in the running for Johnson, but [The Daily Record]. And Rangers usually give up hope completely when Premier League teams get involved.
Johnson is poised to leave West Ham for free at the end of June after reportedly turning down two hefty contract offers.
The last we heard of Johnson being associated with the Rangers was from the piece published in The Athletic. However, The 4th Official fueled the transfer rumours on Saturday morning about a possible Ibrox move for the Hammers player.
“I can confirm that Rangers have an active interest in Ben Johnson,” reads the brief report. This comes from conversations with a number of people, including @ExWHUEmployee, a West Ham insider.
Although Johnson has a few choices, the Rangers’ interest is clear.
The 24-year-old is a free agent and has rejected several West Ham United contract offers.
The adaptable defender is being considered as James Tavernier’s long-term replacement.
Johnson to the Rangers appears unlikely to happen.
Although Ben Johnson’s primary position is right back, he can also play as a defensive midfielder or on the opposite side of defence, as he demonstrated with West Ham in the previous campaign.
We don’t need another adaptable option in the squad because Johnson seems to fit the same template as Dujon Sterling, especially before we consider that Crystal Palace is vying for Johnson’s signature.
It’s a straightforward reality. The 2023 Europa Conference League winner is set to become a free agency this summer, so the Rangers might be interested in signing him.
However, Rangers won’t be able to give as lucrative a deal because Leeds and Crystal Palace are also circling, so you can forget about Johnson playing at Ibrox the following season.
If the connections between Saudi Arabia and Steven Gerrard are confirmed, Captain Tavernier might need to be replaced shortly. Ben Johnson, though, is not expected to be the successor given the way things are going right now.
After the 2023–24 season ends, the Ibrox giants have begun yet another team restructure.
Rangers, led by Philippe Clement, pursued a domestic triple crown but were never able to pull off the audacious goal.
Rangers only managed to win the Viaplay Cup in December, while Celtic went on to win both the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup at their expense.
The Belgian will now oversee a significant surgical operation to rebuild the team with director of football Nils Koppen, with the goal of both of them contributing to league victory the following season.
And now that their contracts at Ibrox are up, five senior players from the first team have been released, marking the beginning of that process.
Rangers confirmed the release of midfielders Ryan Jack and John Lundstram, defender Borna Barisic, attacker Kemar Roofe, and goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin in an early announcement on Saturday morning.
“They were all a member of the team that led Rangers to the 2020–21 league title with the club, which was won by Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack, and Kemar Roofe in the UEFA Europa League final in Seville.
“All five go as recent Rangers winners of the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup.
“We extend our gratitude to the departing players for their time with the team and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours on behalf of everyone at Ibrox and Rangers’ Training Centre.”
Rangers’ end of an era
For the Govan giants, the exits of Lundstram, Barisic, Jack, Roofe, and McLaughlin all mark the end of an era.
After playing for Steven Gerrard, Lundstram was signed and in his first season became a legend among the Ibrox supporters.
The Scotsman claims Rangers might be persuaded to sell Jack Butland this summer if a sizable offer comes in from a Premier League team.
The news site stated on July 1st that the Ibrox team is not at all interested in parting with the 31-year-old this summer.
The England international, who relocated to Glasgow last summer, was one of the season’s most notable players in 2023–2024.
Rangers shouldn’t support Jack Butland offers below £15 million.
Butland is in the prime years for goalkeepers, which are usually between the ages of 28 and 34, so the Gers need to be steadfast in their position about him for some time.
He is a custodian of the highest calibre and is at the top of his game at the age of thirty-one.
His worth to the team was demonstrated by his performances during the previous season, which were among the best in the Scottish Premiership.
The way the Gers are standing suggests that they think highly of the goalie and are not eager to part with him.
Because of this, they will have the advantage in any future discussions and can demand the price they want. They won’t even entertain offers lower than £15 million for their number one.
Hopefully, no club even thinks of testing the waters to sign the 31-year-old this summer.
Amid rumours of a possible transfer to Rangers, Damian Garcia has done well to maintain his entire focus on Peñarol.
The 20-year-old midfield prodigy from Uruguay has been the focus of numerous transfer rumours involving the Ibrox team, with the connections first emerging in South America at the beginning of June.
You would excuse Damian Garcia for turning his head while the hullabaloo about new contracts, handshakes in Mexico, release clauses, and transfer appraisals continued.
Amidst all the reports, the youthful Uruguayan was observed on the Peñarol field, serving as a defensive midfielder for ninety minutes in the team’s most recent league game.
Additionally, Peñarol’s management gave a clear update on the player’s contract status and those Rangers connections after the game.
Racing held Peñarol, who are hoping to qualify for the Uruguayan Primera División, 1-1 despite Damian Garcia playing the entire match from a midfield position.
The midfielder’s presence on the field serves as another evidence of Peñarol’s unwavering resolve to retain Garcia with the team through the summer, despite the “keen” Rangers’ interest.
Diego Aguirre, the manager of Peñarol, has made it apparent all summer long that he intended to retain the majority of his team together.
While acknowledging that the team and the U20 World Cup winner have reached a new agreement, it goes without saying that the Uruguayan coach is happy to have averted a huge difficulty.
After the match, Aguirre said to Carve Deportiva, “There was a chance that some players might leave.”
However, I have always stated that I thought they should keep the core group of this club, given they had a fantastic start to the season.
In the summer transfer window, Rangers might try to make an offer to bring Tommy Conway, a forward for Bristol City, to Ibrox.
The Daily Record (print edition, June 12, back page) reports that should the 21-year-old forward reach the last 12 months of his Bristol City contract, the Gers will try to make a bid to sign him.
In the competition to sign Conway, who is now in Germany as Steve Clarke’s national side gets ready for Friday’s home opener against the Bears, the Bears are anticipated to have competition from Celtic.
Bristol City has made an unsuccessful attempt to get him to sign a new deal. In the new year, Rangers may sign him on a pre-contract; the Championship team would then lose him for crossborder compensation of as little as £300,000.
In the best-case scenario for Bristol City, Conway winning a great Euro 2024 Championship would allow them to demand a sizeable seven-figure sum.
Rangers has used the summer transfer window to their full potential.
Under a new manager, the Gers have begun work on the rebuilding project for an additional year. Every summer, it has been a recurring motif for them.
Some Rangers players whose contracts were about to expire have already been moved out, and plans are in place to bring in quality players to fill the hole. In the upcoming days, further departures are anticipated as Philippe Clement works feverishly to mould the team to his own specifications.
After adding Jefte and Oscar Cortes, the Rangers completed their summer signing class earlier this week with the arrival of Clinton Nsiala.
Although Clement is allegedly looking into other options, Ridvan Yilmaz is probably going to continue at Ibrox. Thomas Galdames, a left back for Godoy Cruz, has been connected to a move lately.
This summer, Rangers also want to strengthen their striker position, and Adama Traore of Ferencvaros has been connected to them. Conway will cost the Gers a pitiful sum of money to sign, but whether they will do so at this time remains to be seen.
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