Glasgow Rangers have not made a signing for their first-team squad since they unveiled Andreas Skov Olsen on the night that they beat Annan Athletic 5-0.
The Danish forward was their third signing of the January transfer window and was brought out in front of the Ibrox crowd alongside Tochi Chukwuani and Tuur Rommens.
Danny Rohl did want to raid his former club Southampton to bring Cameron Archer to Ibrox on loan until the end of the season, but that deal collapsed on deadline day.
The Gers had agreed a deal to sign the former Aston Villa marksman on a temporary deal, then the Saints pulled the plug because they agreed to sell Adam Armstrong to Wolves.
Rangers reach full agreement for signing
Whilst the move for Archer hit a roadblock today, the Scottish Premiership giants finally look set to bring in the number nine that they have been looking for all window.
According to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, Glasgow Rangers have reached a full agreement with Hansa Rostock to sign centre-forward Ryan Naderi.
The reporter claims that the Gers have agreed a deal with the German club that could rise to £5.1m with add-ons, and the 3. Liga club have a 20% sell-on clause as part of the move.
Plettenberg adds that the transfer is “set to be official soon” and it will make him the most expensive departure in the history of the German third division.The German journalist reveals that the 22-year-old number nine has already completed his medical with the Scottish giants, and all that is left now is for the club to announce his arrival at Ibrox.
Why Ryan Naderi could be Joe Aribo 2.0
There may be some question marks over whether or not Naderi can make an instant impact in Glasgow because of the level of football that he is coming from.
The German striker currently plays in the third tier in his home country with Hansa Rostock, and has never played above that level, but supporters should remember that Joe Aribo joined the club from Charlton Athletic, who were in League One.
Aribo, who signed for Leicester City on loan from Southampton today, signed for Rangers in the summer of 2019 after three seasons in the third tier of English football with the Addicks. He had never played higher than that level, yet he went on to be a big success at Ibrox.
The Nigeria international scored 26 goals and provided 25 assists in 149 appearances in all competitions for Rangers before he was sold to Southampton for £6m in 2022, after three successful years in Glasgow.
Aribo proved that quality is more important than the league that a player comes from, as he won a Scottish Premiership title and an SFA Cup with the Gers, and scored in a Europa League final, whilst being a key player for Steven Gerrard and Giovanni van Bronckhorst after directly joining from a third tier team.
This shows that Naderi should be judged on his individual quality rather than the quality of the league that he is coming from. The recruitment team and Rohl have clearly seen enough from him to suggest that he can handle the step up, given the move and the fee behind it.
In the 3. Liga this season, the towering German centre-forward has shown plenty of promise with his play as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a number nine position.
25/26 3. Liga
Ryan Naderi
Appearances
18
Starts
14
Goals
8
Assists
4
Successful dribbles per game
1.4
Dribble success rate
64%
As you can see in the table above, Naderi offers a threat as a scorer, a creator, and as a dribbler, which means that he can create his own shots by taking players on, rather than relying on other players to set him up.
None of Rangers’ current strikers have scored more than four goals or provided more than two assists in the Premiership this season, which illustrates just how underwhelming Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski have been.
If Naderi can carry over the kind of form that he has shown in the 3. Liga over to the Premiership, the 22-year-old striker could be Rohl’s best option in the number nine position.
Aribo is the perfect example that signings from third tier leagues should not be shrugged off and disregarded, and, hopefully, Naderi will be the next example of that.