After leaving Rangers, £6m Ibrox hero is now miles better than Skov Olsen

Sunday’s disappointment has ensured that Glasgow Rangers can at least now solely focus on their Premiership title ambitions, with Danny Rohl’s side still firmly in the mix, despite slipping into third last week.

Six points off the pace, however, there is perhaps a sense that it will be a case of too little too late as far as the Gers are concerned, with the damage having almost been done during Russell Martin’s ill-fated tenure.

At the time of his dismissal, Martin had left the Light Blues 11 points behind the league leaders, and while Rohl has creditably closed the gap since then, time is running out in this chaotic title race.

The German is himself certainly not blameless either, with four draws across the last five in all competitions having come at the worst possible time, while Rohl’s more high-profile figures have failed to come to the party – namely, Andreas Skov Olsen.

Why Skov Olsen could be Rohl’s biggest mistake so far

After the initial early promise, Sunday’s penalty shootout defeat at Ibrox wasn’t exactly a glowing endorsement of Rangers’ January transfer business, amid mixed fortunes for Rohl’s quartet of signings.

Tuur Rommens was his usual, lively self down the left flank, although ex-Sturm Graz man Tochi Chukwuani was left on the bench, a bizarre decision that seemingly backfired amid Mohamed Diomande’s disappointing display.

As for deadline day arrival, Ryan Naderi, the German striker worked tirelessly out of possession, although the 22-year-old is still waiting to truly ignite his Rangers career, his only goals thus far coming in the 8-0 thrashing of Queen’s Park.

The stop-start nature of his outings due to fitness woes hasn’t helped matters, although elsewhere, supporters may feel they’ve now seen enough of the aforementioned Skov Olsen, following another muted afternoon for the experienced Dane.

Signed to much fanfare considering his prior heroics at Club Brugge, the Wolfsburg loanee certainly hasn’t met expectations thus far, registering just two assists and one goal in his first eight games for the club.

That isn’t disastrous, not least with both of those assists coming against Hearts and Celtic, although the 26-year-old has a tendency to drift out of games, his performances looking in stark contrast to the dynamism of Mikey Moore on the opposite side.

Perhaps struggling with the pace and physicality of Scottish football, Skov Olsen – who was replaced just after the hour mark at the weekend – has done little to suggest Rangers should be forking out £9m to sign him permanently this summer, with the decision to bring him in even on loan having not gone to plan thus far.

Former Ibrox hero is still looking like a Skov Olsen upgrade

Perhaps Skov Olsen merely needs time to bed in, with there having been flashes of his quality in recent weeks, suggesting he could be something of a Benjamin Nygren-style figure at Ibrox, as a player lacking that real burst of speed and athleticism, yet who can make a difference in the final third.

Related

£9m Rangers star could become Rohl’s answer to Benjamin Nygren at Ibrox

It’s derby day again, as Rangers continue their search for Scottish Cup glory.

The problem is, the 40-cap Denmark star arrived with such significant expectation, while also having to deal with the comparisons to those who came before him, including Rangers’ succession of successful loan deals.

A direct comparison would be to last season’s arrival from Wolfsburg, Vaclav Cerny, with the Czech winger enjoying a far more fruitful time of things in Glasgow, having also shone since his exit last summer.

Signed on loan in the summer of 2024, the left-footed right-winger was something of a shining light in a difficult season for the Gers in 2024/25, ending the campaign with 27 goals and assists in 52 games in all competitions.

That included six goals in 12 Europa League appearances, with the 28-year-old – hailed as “devastating” by analyst John Walker – looking like a class above on that right flank.

Also described by club legend Ally McCoist as someone he “wouldn’t mind playing with”, Cerny memorably secured cult hero status following his Old Firm antics last season, with there having been a real appetite to see him snapped up permanently.

As it proved, the experienced winger returned to Germany before joining Turkish giants Besiktas on a £6m deal, a move that has seen him continue his rampant form over the past six months or so.

Like Skov Olsen, his time at Wolfsburg didn’t exactly go to plan with just six goals in 28 games, although in Istanbul, Cerny has looked like the figure who dazzled for Rangers, already up to 14 goal involvements in 23 games.

That represents a significant upgrade on Skov Olsen’s performances in 2025/26, with the Scandinavian wideman registering just five goal contributions in 18 total games.

Indeed, while Cerny may have always been destined to move on after just a solitary season, if the Gers weren’t able to get him tied down permanently, why would they consider paying even more for a far less successful addition this summer?

Related

Worse than Naderi: Rangers dud looks like Ibrox’s biggest flop since Ramsey

Rangers may have signed their biggest disappointment since Aaron Ramsey at Ibrox.