Rangers could sign Bassey 2.0 at Ibrox & he's a £70m star in the making - Techie News Guru

What a football match it was. Faced off against the Premiership leaders, Glasgow Rangers led the charge right from the off, bouncing back from early setbacks to romp to a deserved 4-2 win at Ibrox.

The home crowd was buoyant and bouncing, with even Danny Rohl unable to contain himself as the fourth went in, having seen his side at their rampant best on such a pivotal day in the title race.

Youssef Chermiti’s hat-trick undoubtedly stole the show, although the bigger positive might well have been the performances of all of the new faces in Glasgow, with Andreas Skov Olsen, Tuur Rommens, Tochi Chukwuani and Ryan Naderi all playing their part on the day.

Following a mixed summer of recruitment under Kevin Thelwell, to put it politely, the Gers’ January activity under Rohl and co already appears far more promising. Can that continue this summer?

Rangers could pounce to sign Premiership sensation

The focus, not least after Sunday’s win over Hearts, is firmly on the title race, with the Light Blues boasting their best chance in a long while to end the campaign in Premiership glory.

Regardless of what happens between now and May, however, the Ibrox side also need to plan for the future under Rohl, with this latest batch of incomings needing to be built on this summer.

There has already been talk that the club could be in the mix, alongside Celtic, for Motherwell’s Tawanda Maswanhise, with the high-flying steelmen likely to accept a bid for the Zimbabwean at the end of the season.

The two Glasgow sides could also be set to go head-to-head for Dundee starlet, Luke Graham, with the Scottish Sun reporting earlier this week that Rangers are ready to ramp up their interest in the 22-year-old centre-back.

The promising defender was the subject of a £1m bid from Portsmouth last month, although with that interest having been rebuffed, the chance is there for the Premiership’s big boys to pounce this summer.

Having already solidified the backline with Emmanuel Fernandez’s capture ahead of this season, Graham could well represent a perfect partner next term.

Why Rangers target could be the new Bassey at Ibrox

If there is any area that appears in real need of investment at Ibrox, it is the centre-back department, with Derek Cornelius and Nasser Djiga both set to return to their parent clubs at the end of the season.

Rohl has settled on a first-choice pairing of Fernandez and John Souttar, although Graham could oust the Scotsman next term, having shone at Dundee this season.

As a young, exciting centre-back who is naturally left-footed, Graham could well fill the void left behind by Calvin Bassey, with the Nigerian having arrived at Ibrox as another high-potential, left-footed centre-back under Steven Gerrard.

Plucked from Leicester City’s youth ranks, much like Motherwell did with Maswanhise, Bassey overcame a slow start to enjoy a rapid rise in Glasgow, swiftly cementing a starting role for himself as part of the club’s surge to the Europa League final..

A powerful, elegant ball-carrier in that left channel – who, like Graham, can also play at left-back – Bassey’s potential was evident to see, having swiftly sealed a £19.6m move to Ajax in the summer of 2022, a figure that remains the club’s record sale.

Graham – 25/26 SPFL stats
Stat (*per game)	Record
Games	25
Starts	25
Goals & Assists	1
Pass accuracy*	79%
Interceptions*	1.2
Tackles*	1.4
Clearances*	6.2
Total duels won*	66%
Aerial duels won*	71%
Errors	1

Graham – who has scored once in 25 Premiership outings this season – has endured his own intriguing route to Scotland’s top-flight, after a string of loan spells at the likes of Albion Rovers, Montrose and Falkirk.

His talent has become too obvious to ignore, with all the signs pointing to a similar Bassey-style progression later down the line, not least considering the comparisons that have been made to Everton sensation, Jarrad Branthwaite.

Indeed, Dundee boss Steven Pressley said that there are “so many similarities” between Graham and Branthwaite, having worked with the Englishman during his youth at Carlisle.

“He’s playing at such a high standard. I worked with [Everton defender] Jarrad Branthwaite during my time at Carlisle and I thought he was an exceptional young talent. I put Luke right up there next to him.

“Listen, I think he needs a number of steps still on his journey but there is no doubt, in my opinion, that Luke Graham can be playing in the English Premier League.” Pressley on Graham this week.

Signed by the Merseyside club for just £1m, the towering left-footer is now being tipped for a £70m move to Manchester United this summer, even after an injury-hit season under David Moyes.

With Graham potentially on a similar trajectory, he could be another notable Rangers sale – like Bassey – later down the line, provided Rohl’s side can win the race for his signature this summer.

The young Scot may be relatively experienced at Premiership level, yet having previously taken a risk with a young Bassey, any deal could be a gamble worth taking.