It is the start of a new era at Glasgow Rangers after Russell Martin was officially unveiled as the new head coach at Ibrox last week, shortly after the takeover was made official.
The former Scotland international has joined the club as their long-term replacement for Philippe Clement, having left Southampton at the end of last year, and is tasked with bringing glory back to Ibrox.
Rangers have failed to win the Scottish Premiership title in each of the past four seasons, and they ended the 2024/25 campaign without a single trophy to show for their efforts.
The Light Blues know that they will need to be active in the summer transfer window to improve their squad, as the current playing group ultimately failed this season.
This means that there could be several new stars added to the club before the deadline in September, which could create uncertainty for some of the fringe players.
One player whose future at Ibrox could be thrown into doubt by possible new additions in their position could be Brazilian forward Danilo, who has not had the easiest of times in Glasgow so far.
Why Danilo’s future at Rangers could be in doubt
The Light Blues swooped to sign the centre-forward from Dutch outfit Feyenoord in the summer of 2023 for a reported fee of £6m, as Michael Beale looked to improve the club’s attacking unit.
Danilo is a bit of a tricky player to judge at Rangers because there is little doubt that he has the quality to make a big impact on his day. In fact, the striker scored five goals and provided four assists in just 878 minutes in the Premiership this season.
However, the fact that he only played 878 minutes, despite his impressive statistics in that time, is part of the problem for the Light Blues marksman.
Type of injury
Broken cheekbone
Knee injury
Knee injury
Date of injury
September 2023
December 2023
September 2024
Return date
October 2023
May 2024
November 2024
Days out
43
171
65
Matches missed
9
32
12
As you can see in the table above, Danilo’s injury record during his time at Ibrox so far is less than ideal, as he has missed a whopping 53 matches in two seasons.
Put simply, his injury history suggests that he will not be a player who can be relied upon by Martin moving forward, because the attacker has yet to prove that he has the durability to be available week-in-week-out at Ibrox.
This is why the Scottish head coach should consider ruthlessly parting ways with the Brazilian forward before the end of the summer transfer window, particularly when you consider the club’s reported interest in other players in his position.
Rangers eyeing up Pro League centre-forward
According to the Daily Record, Rangers are keeping tabs on KVC Westerlo centre-forward Matija Frigan, as Martin lines up a potential swoop for the gem in the summer transfer window.
The report claims that he is one of the strikers the club are watching, after a £20m cash injection from the new owners, and that they are also in talks to sign Maccabi Tel Aviv marksman Dor Turgeman after seeing an initial offer turned down for the Israel international.
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It does not state that they have made an offer, or that they are in talks, to sign Frigan as of yet, which means that he could be behind Turgeman on their wishlist in the number nine position.
The Croatian marksman, though, is being tracked by the Premiership side, as they weigh up their options, and could be a genuine target for Martin and Kevin Thelwell.
However, the outlet does not reveal how much the Belgian side are set to demand for their centre-forward this summer, so it remains to be seen how much the Scottish giants would have to pay for his services.
Why Rangers should sign Matija Frigan
The Gers should swoop to sign the 22-year-old forward because he could arrive at Ibrox as a big upgrade on Danilo, not least because of his reliable availability record.
He has played 69 matches in all competitions for Westerlo since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, including 39 times this term, which shows that he has been consistently available for the Belgian outfit.
Frigan’s form in front of goal in the Pro League this season also suggests that he has the quality to be a big goal threat for Martin next term, whilst also potentially exciting supporters with his skills in the final third.
The young marksman marksman, as shown in the clip above, has the technical ability to beat defenders to create moments of magic, which could be particularly useful when facing low blocks of defenders sat behind the ball in the Premiership.
Frigan’s statistics in the Pro League this season in comparison to Danilo’s also suggest that he has the potential to offer even more in front of goal than the Brazilian.
Appearances
39
23
Goals
13
5
Goals per game
0.3
0.2
Big chances missed
12
5
Conversion rate
14%
11%
Big chances created
6
8
Penalties won
3
0
As you can see in the table above, the Croatian forward scored more than twice as many goals, averaged more goals per game, and had a better conversion rate of shots to goals than the Rangers flop.
Frigan, who was once described as a “complete” striker by talent scout Jacek Kulig, could come in as a big upgrade on Danilo as a goalscorer in the Premiership, as evidenced by their respective league form, because of how clinical and reliable he is in front of goal.
The Westerlo attacker would also be a big upgrade on the Gers number 99 because of his aforementioned availability record, which suggests that he is more likely to be available to Martin on a regular basis throughout the campaign.
Therefore, Rangers should sign Frigan and attempt to part ways with Danilo before the end of the summer transfer window because it would represent an improvement in the squad ahead of the 2025/26 season.
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