Rangers transfer business so far this summer has been solid under Russell Martin as he embarks on his maiden season in charge of the club.
A couple impressed during the 2-0 win over Greek side Panathinaikos in the Champions League qualifier on Tuesday evening, with winger Djeidi Gassama scoring the crucial second goal with a smart finish.
It was a positive second half display by the Ibrox side, and they now have one foot in the next round of qualifiers.
The likes of Max Aarons, Nasser Djiga, Thelo Aasgaard and Joe Rothwell all look excellent signings for the Light Blues, but Martin wont be stopping there when it comes to adding more players.
Others have been linked with a move to the club of late, with names such as Luuk de Jong, Salvatore Esposito and even Jamie Vardy being touted over potential moves to Glasgow.
Much will depend on the money Martin has at his disposal, as he could be waiting for a few players to depart before eyeing any further move.
Robin Propper has completed his move back to former club FC Twente, which will free up some of the wage bill.
One player who has been linked heavily with a move to Rangers is Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi. Signing the player would signify a statement of intent by Martin, no doubt about that.
What Martin has said about Rak-Sakyi deal
The Palace winger is of interest to the club and Martin has stated that he has tried to sign him previously.
“He’s a player I liked at Southampton. We tried to take him there and it didn’t quite happen,” said Martin amid the links to the youngster. “So, he’s a player I like and I think he’s a player the recruitment staff like. But, how far that’s gone, I’m not too sure.”
A few days ago, Rangers made an offer to Palace for the 22-year-old. The proposed deal was for Rak-Sakyi to move to Ibrox on a season-long loan ahead of making the move permanent next summer for a fee worth up to £10m.
This was rejected by the Premier League outfit and it remains to be seen whether Martin will adopt a different strategy or move on to other targets.
Last term, the Englishman spent a spell on loan with Sheffield United in the Championship. He scored seven goals and grabbed two assists for the Blades, but it wasn’t enough to see them secure promotion back to the top flight.
Improving his wide options is something Martin is keen to do before the transfer window shuts. A move for Rak-Sakyi would certainly be an interesting one, especially given how much the club were willing to pay for him permanently.
He is certainly a talented player, yet during his spell with Palace, he has made just ten senior appearances, registering zero goal contributions.
Appearances
43
34
Starts
40
22
Goals
15
7
Minutes per goal
233
248
Big chances created
5
3
Key passes per game
1.3
0.9
Assists
8
2
Should any proposed move cool down in the coming weeks, Martin could perhaps go after an alternative option – Abu Kamara.
Rangers’ search for a new winger
While Gassama may have been signed, bringing another wide player into the squad could prove advantageous for Martin and his team. A few weeks ago, it was reported via Sky Sports that the Gers were weighing up a potential offer to sign Hull City star Kamara.
Due to Hull’s financial issues, any deal for Kamara – who joined his current side for £4m last year – would likely be a cut-price one, which could suggest this is a more likely move to go ahead compared to the Rak-Sakyi one.
Furthermore, he is a year younger than the Palace starlet, and he also played in the Championship last season.
Given Palace’s demands for their young talent, perhaps a move for Kamara is the more feasible option out of the two. If so, Martin could forget all about Rak-Sakyi, as Kamara has all the attributes which could see him shine for the Light Blues this season.
Why Rangers want to sign Abu Kamara
Throughout his embryonic career thus far, Kamara has already racked up 95 senior appearances for Hull, Portsmouth and Norwich, scoring 16 goals and grabbing 15 assists for these clubs.
Despite being a year older, Rak-Sakyi has made the same number of senior appearances, although he has scored 22 goals and grabbed 11 assists in the process.
With the two players starring in the second tier last season, it is important to measure how they performed to see who stood out in a range of statistics.
Indeed, Kamara registered a shots on target percentage of 38.9%, while also recording 74 shot-creating actions, taking 494 touches in the final third, completing 519 carries and delivering 55 crosses into the opposition penalty area.
In comparison, Rak-Sakyi registered a shots on target percentage of 34.8% in the Championship last term, along with generating 71 shot-creating actions, taking 405 touches in the final third, completing 427 carries and delivering 34 crosses into the box.
As you can see, Kamara has better stats across all of these performance metrics compared to the Palace winger.
Kamara even created more big chances in the second tier last season compared to Rak-Sakyi (seven vs three) and missed fewer big chances (five vs six), suggesting that he was the better creator of opportunities.
Former teammate Conor Shaughnessy lavished plenty of praise on Kamara during their spell at Portsmouth, saying that “he will be dangerous on the right wing for them” when referencing his return to Hull City after his loan spell.
There is no doubt Kamara will get better as time goes on and experiencing European football at Ibrox will certainly aid his development.
Rak-Sakyi would be a fine signing, especially given his talent. But for the fee mentioned, it looks as though this deal could drag on throughout the summer.
In Kamara, Martin could sign someone who has demonstrated better stats in the same league as the Palace starlet, and he would be available for a cheaper price.
Watch this space.
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