24/04/2025 08:00
Rangers’ recruitment team will be working hard behind the scenes despite the current uncertainty at the club.
There is no permanent Rangers manager, but Kevin Thelwell has arrived as sporting director, although he will have to wait until the end of his Everton contract before he can take up residency at Ibrox.
Patrick Stewart spoke about signing players for Rangers and not letting manager, after manager, bring their own players in, so Koppen et al should be well down the road in terms of identifying targets.
One player who was on Rangers’ radar was Relebohile Mofokeng, only last summer he was being linked and he has been tipped to move.
Urged to join Barcelona ahead of Rangers, Mofokeng is one of Africa’s brightest talents, but has been told that he needs to work on one specific aspect of his game.
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Rangers target Relebohile Mofokeng told to improve
School of Excellence Coach Masimanyane Xali, who worked with Mofokeng as a youngster, has explained what the South African international needs to develop:
"The one thing I feel is still missing from Rele is goals," Xali told the iDiski Times.
"He is not scoring enough for Pirates. When he was at the School [of Excellence], the boy scored many goals. In his matric year, he scored 39 goals in about 34 matches. I'd like to see him scoring more at Pirates.
"He would come to the school for training on Fridays and played matches on weekends and then go back home yet even in that short period, it was clear the boy was a bit special.
“As a player he had great technical ability and football intelligence. I remember one time, the late James Mabena telling me that 'this boy is going to drive the country crazy'.”
There have been question marks about Mofokeng’s physicality too, given that he is around 5ft 7inches tall and looks every inch a player who is just out of youth football.
What do Mofokeng’s numbers look like?
What Mofokeng has, is good with both feet and has plenty of pace, the bare minimum that Rangers should be looking for in a winger.
Xali has questioned Mofokeng’s goal scoring ability, however, with 10 goals and 13 assists this season and 11 goal contributions in his breakthrough campaign last year, he is hardly shot shy.
The numbers also point to an upward trajectory rather than a decline or stagnation,
He has also scored for the Orlando Pirates in a cup final, showing the composure that is needed when it matters most.
Where Mofokeng goes next could be pivotal in his development, as one of four wingers at Rangers he would get all the game time he needs whilst he adapts to the pressure and intensity of European football.
