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“Former Rangers Star Eager to Return to Ibrox” – The former standout player is reportedly keen on a move back to Ibrox as the club faces a defensive crisis. But should Philippe Clement consider welcoming him back?
Glasgow Rangers have had mixed success in signing players from Europe in recent years.
With limited financial resources, the Ibrox club struggles to compete with Premier League teams for top-tier players.
As a result, they often target leagues where quality players are available at lower prices, hoping to develop them and sell for a profit.
Recently, they signed Mohamed Diomande (FC Nordsjaelland) and Hamza Igamane (AS FAR), both of whom come from less conventional clubs.
Despite this, both players are highly talented and are expected to eventually make a move to one of Europe’s top leagues.
However, not all these transfers have gone as planned. Players like Eros Grezda, Carlos Pena, and Eduardo Herrera, brought in from Mexico and Croatia, struggled to settle in Glasgow and underperformed, leading to significant losses for the club in terms of transfer fees and wages.
One of the worst value-for-money signings in recent memory was Swiss striker Cedric Itten. Brought in during the summer of 2020, Itten was expected to help lead Rangers into a new era. However, his time at the club was underwhelming.
Itten’s Rangers Stats Amid the disruptions of the pandemic, manager Steven Gerrard sought to build a squad capable of breaking Celtic’s dominance.
Cedric Itten’s statistics for Rangers
Itten joined alongside other signings like Joe Aribo, Ianis Hagi, and Kemar Roofe, with hopes he could replicate his strong form from the 2019/20 season with FC St. Gallen, where he contributed 27 goals. Rangers paid £3m for the striker.
Over the course of his time at Rangers, Itten made 37 appearances, but only started nine matches, scoring six goals and providing three assists as Rangers clinched their first Premiership title in a decade.
After a loan spell at Greuther Fürth in the Bundesliga, where he scored twice, Itten returned to Rangers under Giovanni van Bronckhorst but failed to impress. He scored only two goals in the second half of the 2021/22 season before being sold to BSC Young Boys for £1.5m.
Since returning to Switzerland, Itten has found his form, scoring 44 goals in the past two and a half seasons, helping Young Boys win two consecutive league titles.
Former Rangers star wants Ibrox return
Could Rangers be looking at a similar scenario this transfer window? There are reports linking the club with a move for a defender currently playing in Switzerland, FC Zurich’s Nikola Katic, who has expressed interest in returning to Ibrox.
Why Rangers Should Avoid Nikola Katic Recent reports suggest that Katic, amidst growing uncertainty about his future at Zurich, is open to a return to Rangers.
However, with the club’s defensive options already stretched due to injuries to John Souttar, Dujon Sterling, and Neraysho Kasinwirjo, manager Philippe Clement has been forced to rely on youth player Clinton Nsiala for senior appearances.
The young defender has performed admirably, and with Leon King also at the club, adding Katic to the mix may not be the best option.
Katic first joined Rangers in 2018, making 30 appearances in his first season. His best moment came in December 2019, when he scored the winning goal against Celtic at Parkhead, ending a nine-year winless streak there.
Gerrard praised Katic for his warrior-like mentality, and he appeared to be on track for a successful career at Ibrox.
Why Nikola Katic should be avoided
However, a serious knee injury in 2020 sidelined him for the entire season, and he went on loan to Hajduk Split in 2021 before moving permanently to Zurich in 2022.
This season, Katic has completed 80% of his passes but has struggled with defensive metrics, winning only 49% of his ground duels and being dribbled past almost once per game.
These statistics are less than impressive, which suggests that Clement should explore other options if he is seeking additional defensive cover.
A move for Katic risks repeating the issues experienced with the Itten transfer, and with the club’s finances under pressure, Rangers cannot afford another misstep.
With just a week remaining in the January transfer window and only one new signing so far, Clement faces pressure to offload surplus players and make some important additions to the squad.
