Rangers must regret selling man “mountain” who just dominated £106m attack

Glasgow Rangers chiefs Nils Koppen and Philippe Clement only dipped into the market to make one imminent addition to the side in the January transfer window.

The Light Blues bosses decided that they needed to bolster their options at the heart of the defence and opted to complete a deal to bring Rafael Fernandes in on loan from Lille until the end of the season.

Unfortunately, the 22-year-old gem made his full debut on a hugely disappointing day for the club, as they lost 1-0 to Championship side Queen’s Park at Ibrox.

It was not down to his performance, however, as the Portuguese talent was not at fault for the goal or one of the players tasked with breaking down the opposition’s defence.

Rangers’ centre-back pursuit in January

Fernandes, though, was not the only central defender who was linked with a move to Ibrox during the recent January transfer window, as the Gers seemingly considered a number of options.

Multiple UK-based options were linked with Rangers. Norwich City centre-back Grant Hanley was touted with a return to the club he spent time in the academy at, only to end up signing for Birmingham City instead.

It was also claimed that the Gers board were keen to seal a swoop for Manchester United’s veteran centre-back Jonny Evans, but he remained at Old Trafford.

Further afield, Rangers reportedly made a bid to bring Niko Katic back to Ibrox from FC Zurich, only for him to end up signing for Plymouth Argyle in the English Championship.

Katic, who made 59 appearances for the Light Blues, was sold to Zurich by former Gers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the summer of 2022 and that is a decision that the club must now regret.

Why Rangers should regret selling Niko Katic