Glasgow Rangers‘ business in the transfer market over the previous few years has been poor, to say the least, spending lavish sums of money on players who have failed to light up Ibrox.
Michael Beale spent millions on Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers. One spent just six months in Glasgow, while Dessers is arguably one of the worst centre-forwards the club have had since 2016.
Yes, he scores goals, but also wastes chance after chance and has become a continued scapegoat over the last year or so.
Philippe Clement’s strategy has also been questioned, as money has been spent on players such as Oscar Cortes, who has spent more time on the treatment table than on the pitch.
Despite Giovanni van Bronckhorst not enjoying the best spell in charge of the club, he did manage to make a tidy profit on a few players.
Rangers’ biggest sales under Giovanni van Bronckhorst
First to be sold was Nathan Patterson. The academy graduate began to attract attention from Everton in January 2022.
Unable to dethrone James Tavernier at right-back, a bid of £13m, which could rise to £16m, was accepted by the Dutchman, allowing the Gers to secure a major profit on the defender.
That summer saw another player depart; this time it was Joe Aribo. The Nigerian midfielder was sold for £6m, which may rise to £10m if clauses are met and it was another productive transfer, securing profit on one of their Europa League heroes.
This wasn’t the biggest sale of the summer, however, as Van Bronckhorst raked in millions for an important defender…
Calvin Bassey’s transfer value in 2024
Calvin Bassey emerged as a key player for the Gers during the 2021/22 campaign, making 50 appearances as they reached the Europa League final and won the Scottish Cup.
His form drew the attention of European giants Ajax, who eventually signed the defender for a fee that may rise to £23m, which is a club record for the Light Blues.
He didn’t enjoy the best of times in the Netherlands, but the “explosive” star – as he was dubbed by his U23 coach at Leicester, Steve Beaglehole – secured a move to Fulham in 2023.
Since arriving in the Premier League, the Nigerian has made 44 appearances for the Cottagers in all competitions, emerging as a key player under Marco Silva.
This season, he has won 59% of his ground duels in the top flight, along with averaging a 90% pass success rate and recovering 4.7 balls per game, indicating that he is comfortable in one of the best leagues in the world.
|
Calvin Bassey’s 2021/22 stats for Rangers |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Metric (per 90) |
Premiership |
Europa League |
|
Accurate passes |
52.3 |
37.4 |
|
Tackles |
1.5 |
1.6 |
|
Possession lost |
14.7 |
11.6 |
|
Total duels won |
5.2 |
4.1 |
|
Interceptions |
0.7 |
1.4 |
His performances have even seen the player’s market value increase in recent months. According to CIES Football Observatory, Bassey is now worth a staggering £31m, which is quite a rise since he departed Ibrox.
Of course, the offer which Ajax submitted was far too good to turn down for a player who had played just 65 games for the club, but it shows what good management can do when a popular player leaves.
Bassey’s value will continue to rise, especially if he keeps delivering excellent performances for his club.
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