The Russell Martin reign at Rangers has certainly not got off to the brightest start, although if there is to be a crumb of comfort at Ibrox, it’s that Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Indeed, for all the calamity of the past month or so, it’s worth remembering that Ange Postecoglou also endured his own limp start elsewhere in Glasgow, failing to win any of his first three competitive games in charge at Celtic.
An attack-minded coach – in a similar mould to Martin – the Aussie went on to turn the tide and steer the Hoops to five domestic honours across his two seasons in charge, having successfully shaken off that iffy beginning.
For the Gers, the ex-Southampton boss does face an uphill task, although there is an exciting array of talents at his disposal, with summer signing Thelo Aasgaard notably netting four times off the bench for Norway earlier this week.
Djeidi Gassama, meanwhile, has already hit the ground running with four goals and one assist from just ten appearances for the Light Blues, with intrigue mounting over just how £8m man Youssef Chermiti will settle in to life in Scottish football.
While the transfer fee would suggest otherwise, the Portuguese youngster is a raw, inexperienced talent who is yet to realise his potential – perhaps he can look to Hamza Igamane’s Rangers spell as reason for encouragement.
Hamza Igamane's start to life after Rangers
There is no justifying the actions of Igamane as his relatively brief Rangers stint came to a close, with the 22-year-old said to have refused to come off the bench during the draw with St Mirren, in fear of a potential injury hampering his impending move to Lille.
That £10.4m sale was subsequently agreed, with those at Ibrox no doubt glad to see the back of a player who showcased such blatant self-interest and disregard for his manager.
That being said, of course, it’s hard to deny the forward’s obvious talent, having already settled into life in France with a delightful double on debut in the 7-1 thrashing of Lorient prior to the international break.
The first of those two efforts saw the Moroccan wizard fire home on the rebound following a trademark jinking run in the build-up, with those back in Glasgow having witnessed such quality first hand last season.
In all, the £1.7m addition – who was a relative unknown at the time – contributed 16 goals in 49 games in total prior to his toxic departure, as per Transfermarkt, having since followed up his debut heroics at Lille with a further two goals for his country over the past week.
With five goals and assists to his name across his last 155 minutes of action for club and country, the youngster is undoubtedly thriving after sealing his desired Ibrox exit.
For those at Rangers, however, he now belongs to the past, with Martin now able to wield a potentially even bigger talent this season.
Rangers could have an even bigger talent than Igamane
As already stated, the early success story from an extensive summer of recruitment so far has been Gassama, with the ex-Sheffield Wednesday winger netting all four of his goals thus far in just six Champions League qualification games.
The 22-year-old – signed for just £2.2m – could be a star of the present and future at Ibrox, although for 2025/26, keep an eye on young Mikey Moore to be the man to ultimately steal the limelight.
Still only 18, the Tottenham Hotspur loanee could eclipse Igamane and co as arguably the biggest prospect to have turned out for the Light Blues in recent times, having been hailed as “one of England’s best players of his age group” by analyst Ben Mattinson.
Also described as a “superstar” by Mattinson, the promising Englishman has already made his presence felt back in north London, registering one goal and two assists from just 21 senior games for Spurs to date.
Igamane caught the eye in the Europa League last term, with four goals and one assist from just ten appearances, although at the age of just 17, Moore was making his own impression for the Premier League outfit in Europe.
Games
5
Goals
1
Assists
1
Big chances created
1
Key passes*
0.8
Successful dribbles*
0.8
Pass accuracy*
83%
Possession lost*
0.4
On just his second start of 2024/25 against AZ Alkmaar back in October, the teenage sensation was notably compared to Brazil great Neymar by teammate James Maddison, having been lauded for his “fearless” display down the left flank.
That performance led to notable plaudits from the aforementioned Postecoglou, with the Aussie stating that he had been “willing” his side to keep giving the ball to the academy graduate – high praise indeed:
“He’s such a mature young man. It was exciting. Every time we were on the ball I was willing the boys to pass it to him as well, because he’s got that ability to go past people, which is the hardest thing to do in our game, apart from scoring goals. If he’s not successful, it doesn’t faze him, he’ll just go again”.
For such a talent to now be on the books at Rangers, albeit temporarily, is undoubtedly an exciting prospect, with Moore already chalking up one assist from his first four games under Martin’s watch.
Igamane, for all his flaws, looks destined to be a star in the years to come. At four years his junior and already earning rave reviews, however, it is Moore who may well have the bigger ceiling.
