Glasgow Rangers did not do any immediate business on the deadline day of the January transfer window on Monday, but they did secure a deal for a future addition.
The Gers confirmed that they had reached an agreement with Lyall Cameron on a pre-contract deal that will see the young midfielder arrive at Ibrox in the summer after his contract at Dundee expires.
Nils Koppen and Philippe Clement only made one first-team signing in January and that was the arrival of Rafael Fernandes on loan from Ligue 1 side Lille.
The Light Blues swept Ross County aside with a 4-0 win in the Scottish Premiership at Ibrox last weekend, which was a timely reminder that they were not in desperate need of any reinforcements.
Rangers did, however, decide to move some players on from Glasgow. Rabbi Matondo, Kieran Dowell, and Adam Devine were all sent out on loan, whilst Alex Lowry was sold to Wycombe Wanderers.
Dowell was sent out on loan to Birmingham City in League One and became the third player to trade Glasgow for Birmingham since the end of last season, joining Ben Davies and Scott Wright.
Why Rangers sold Scott Wright
In the summer of 2024, Rangers opted to sell the Scottish winger to the English side on a permanent deal, whilst Davies was only sent there on loan, as was the case with Dowell last month.
Wright joined the Gers in the January transfer window from Aberdeen at the start of 2021 and endured a difficult time throughout his spell with the Premiership giants.
He made 120 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues, which shows that the forward was handed plenty of opportunities by the various managers he worked under, but the Scotsman failed to do enough in the final third to justify a regular place in the starting XI.
Wright only contributed with 12 goals and seven assists in those 120 matches, a goal every ten matches on average, and this illustrates why the Gers eventually decided to part ways with him.
Unfortunately, the attacker, simply, did not do enough with the ball at the top end of the pitch and Rangers need players who can deliver goals and assists on, at least, a semi-regular basis.
Appearances
11
Starts
2
Goals
1
Big chances created
0
Key passes per game
0.6
Assists
0
As you can see in the table above, Wright has failed to break into the Birmingham starting XI in League One and has offered very little in terms of goals and assists.
These statistics suggest that it was the right, pardon the pun, decision to cash in on him when Clement and Koppen opted to part ways with him last summer.
When Wright was selected over a big-money star in the making
Despite all of the forward’s struggles throughout his time at Ibrox, though, Wright was once selected over current Premier League star Amad Diallo, when the Ivorian ace was on loan at the club.
Rangers signed the left-footed sensation on loan from Manchester United for the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst at the helm at the time.
The Ivory Coast international only started four of his ten appearances in the Premiership that season, but did manage to score in two of his last three league outings for the club.
He started the final league clash of the campaign, against Hearts, and caught the eye by completing 93% of his attempted passes and two of his three attempted dribbles.
Diallo was, however, benched for the biggest game of the season, and the biggest in the club’s history in many years, as they faced Eintracht Frankfurt in the final of the Europa League in the next match.
Wright started on the right flank and played the opening 73 minutes, failing to register a shot on goal or a ‘big chance’ created, and Rangers went on to lose the match on penalties.
The Scottish winger’s struggles in that game, compared to Diallo’s two goals in three games before that, suggests that it may have been a misstep from van Bronckhorst to bench the United loanee for Wright in the final.
What the Red Devils forward has gone on to achieve since moving on from Ibrox makes it all the more baffling as to why the Gers could not get more out of him, and why he was benched for Wright in a Europa League final.
Amad Diallo's form this season
The 22-year-old star, who is currently valued at £21m by Transfermarkt, is currently flying as a fully-fledged member of the Manchester United first-team this season.
Where Are They Now
Diallo went on to score 13 goals in 37 appearances in the Championship during the 2022/23 campaign with Sunderland, before Erik ten Hag rarely utilised him in the Premier League – with one goal in nine outings – in the 2023/24 season.
The left-footed star, who was described as “unstoppable” by Bruno Fernandes, has stepped up in the current term under Ruben Amorim and made himself a star in the English top-flight.
He has been utilised on the right wing, as a number ten, and as a right wing-back for the Red Devils, and still managed to shine wherever he has been selected.
Appearances
22
xG
4.10
Goals
6
Big chances created
5
Key passes per game
1.8
Assists
6
As you can see in the table above, Diallo has provided a big threat at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals, cutting in on his left foot from the right flank.
The United magician has proven himself to be a terrific Premier League quality forward, who can make a huge impact in the final third, after also shining in the Championship for Sunderland in the past.
His incredible form in England since moving on from Rangers may be frustrating for the Gers supporters, who had to watch Wright start a European final over a player who has gone on to be a star for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
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