La Liga colossus dominates Atletico Madrid to serve Rangers transfer pain
21/04/2025 08:00
Rangers have made a number of mistakes in recent summer transfer windows with the perception that money is an issue being wide of the mark.
The current Rangers squad is a mix of ideas and player profiles, built without any real plan for the long term or joined up thinking.
There is a shortage of homegrown players, Nils Koppen has said that more Scots will be signed, with another issue being the signing of players who aren't suited to the SPFL.
Several players aren't good enough for Rangers, with Koppen now having to correct his own mistakes as well as others.
One of the biggest mistakes from last summer was signing Robin Propper when Rangers had a tap-in, no risk option available for free.
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Rangers summer transfer mistake by not signing Scott McKenna
Putting two and two together, Propper looks like he was a recommendation by former assistant manager Andries Ulderink.
Ulderink would have first hand experience of Propper as Twente's captain and saw him as the perfect option to replace Connor Goldson.
Given how much money was made from transfers in 2024, selling Goldson to shave a few pounds off the wage bill doesn't seem like such a good idea now.
Out went a physically dominant centre half who, even on a bad day, could at least organise a defence.
In came a defender who is bullied almost every week and seems to make his partners more nervous.
Much like Bullseye, if you're old enough to remember, what Rangers could have won is a centre half who just kept a clean sheet against Atletico Madrid and who had been a mainstay in a La Liga team all season.
How good was McKenna against Atletico Madrid?
If Rangers lack physicality, it could have been solved by signing Scott McKenna on a Bosman after he left Nottingham Forest.
He has become a better player due to his time in the Premier League, loan spell at Copenhagen and now at Las Palmas.
| Scott McKenna v Atletico Madrid | Performance |
| Passes completed | 43/47 |
| Pass percentage | 91% |
| Long pass completion percentage | 75% |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Total touches | 58 |
| Aerial duels won | 57% |
| Clearances | 9 |
| Headed clearances | 3 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Recoveries | 1 |
| Dispossessed | 0 |
As with every manager's desire to start Cyriel Dessers, not signing McKenna was bizarre.
Rangers put all their eggs in the baskets of centre halves who all have a complicated relationship with injury.
Clinton Nsiala only got his chance due to John Souttar, Leon Balogun and Neraysho Kasanwirjo all being out injured with Rangers having nearly 15 different combinations of central defensive pairings/partnerships.
A successful team is built on its defence, no wonder Rangers have struggled.
