Rangers already sold a bigger talent than Ferguson & Neil for just £550k

Danny Rohl pleaded for new leaders at Glasgow Rangers, and while the German may no longer be around to oversee things at Ibrox, his successor, Derek McInnes, could well benefit from those demands.

Indeed, it’s already clear that the Gers are seeking to build an experienced spine under the new boss, with five signings made thus far following a rampant start to the window.

Among those in the door is ex-Hearts skipper, Lawrence Shankland, while the most recent arrival was that of one-time Sunderland captain, Dan Neil, following the expiry of his contract at the Stadium of Light.

The next on the list might well be the man who currently wears the armband at Bologna, in the form of Lewis Ferguson, with there a clear theme emerging with regard to the Light Blues’ spree of early signings.

McInnes and co evidently want characters and leaders to form the core of the side next season, with Neil and Ferguson likely to be an exciting midfield partnership, should everything go to plan.

Why Neil and Ferguson can thrive together at Rangers

It was almost exactly a year ago that Rangers welcomed a certain Joe Rothwell into the building on a free transfer, the experienced Englishman taking on the number six shirt after reuniting with Russell Martin in Glasgow.

That jersey now belongs to Neil, following his own move from south of the border, with those of a Gers persuasion no doubt hoping his stay doesn’t prove quite as brief as that of Rothwell.

It did prove a disappointing 2025/26 campaign for the 24-year-old as he was cast aside by Black Cats boss, Regis Le Bris, although he had previously skippered his boyhood club to promotion, starting 44 Championship games across 2024//25.

That stellar season saw Neil shine in a deep-lying midfield role, with his partner in crime having been emerging superstar, Jobe Bellingham, the youngster making 40 appearances himself.

Unlike his elder brother Jude, the 20-year-old is more of a number six than a box-crashing number eight, a player to help control proceedings rather than steal the headlines in attack.

That pairing proved particularly fruitful for the Wearside outfit, ensuring Ferguson could be the man to take on a Bellingham-esque role next to Neil at Ibrox.

As he showed at the World Cup with Scotland, the 26-year-old can dictate proceedings himself from deep, having averaged a stellar 93% pass accuracy in the group stage.

Something of an unsung hero, Ferguson is willing to do the dirty work too, having averaged 5.3 tackles and interceptions per game for his country.

Partnering him with Neil could see both men flourish in a midfield two, with neither player likely to attempt to bomb forward too readily, instead forming a stable base for the attacking unit to build from.

That would represent a real upgrade from recent years, although might the club have let an even bigger midfield talent slip from their grasp?

Rangers already sold a bigger midfield talent at Ibrox

In Ferguson’s case, there remains that frustration that the Scotland man was released by Rangers as a teenager, with the Bologna skipper now arguably the leading target for the club just over a decade on.

It’s something of a similar story with regard to compatriot, Billy Gilmour, albeit while Ferguson was let go, Rangers were almost helpless to seeing the diminutive midfielder poached by the Premier League.

Indeed, it was Chelsea who came calling back in 2017, forking out a fee of around £550k for a player who was just 15 at the time and was yet to debut for the Premiership outfit.

The inability to hold onto Gilmour was keenly felt as he swiftly forced his way into then-boss Frank Lampard’s plans, having made his Blues debut in a pre-season fixture in July 2019.

It was later that year where he particularly came to wider attention, however, shining in an FA Cup clash with Liverpool, while earning the Man of the Match award on his first Premier League start against Everton.

Even the typically hard-to-please Roy Keane was impressed, suggesting at the time that the young Gilmour looked “like a world-class player”, such is his technical, ball-playing quality.

The years since might have been hit by injury, yet having reached Napoli via a stint at Brighton, the Scotland star is now a Serie A winner, while typically a mainstay for his country.

Had it not been for a cruel pre-tournament blow, it would almost certainly have been Gilmour lining up in the midfield ranks ahead of Ferguson this summer, with the 25-year-old having long been Clarke’s go-to man in that department.

Aged just 25, Gilmour is already up to 46 caps for his country, while Ferguson has still only made 27 appearances, having so often been on the fringes at international level to date.

In the view of Transfermarkt too, the Napoli star remains the second-most valuable Scottish player in the game at €20m (£17m), only behind club colleague Scott McTominay.

For context, Ferguson is down in fifth at just €14m (£12m), while Englishman Neil is only valued at €4.5m (£3.5m), having yet to really enjoy a sustained run in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Of course, those at Ibrox will be looking ahead to what Neil can do in a Rangers shirt, while hopes are high that Ferguson might soon follow suit, yet there remains that nagging sense of ‘what if’ regarding Gilmour’s departure as a teenager.