When it rains, it pours. Glasgow Rangers have been hit with blow after blow since the 2026/27 campaign got underway at the start of this month.
In the past seven days, the Light Blues have lost to Hibernian, been knocked out of the Europa League, lost Youssef Chermiti to an ACL injury, lost Tuur Rommens for up to two months through injury, and seen a deal for Couhaib Driouech fall through after a medical.
It is hard not to feel for the supporters after recent events. Everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong, for the Scottish Premiership giants, who have a lot of work to do between now and the end of the window.
After Chermiti’s potentially season-ending injury, a new striker should be on the agenda for the Gers, particularly given Ryan Naderi’s struggles at Ibrox.
Why Rangers already need to replace Ryan Naderi
Danny Rohl swooped to sign the German striker from third division side Hansa Rostock for an eye-catching fee of £4.7m in the January transfer window, a move that made him the most expensive player in 3. Liga history.
Unfortunately, Naderi has yet to prove why the club were willing to pay such a fee for a player who was playing in the third tier of German football at the start of the year.
The 6 foot 4 striker started in the 1-1 draw with Polish side Jagiellonia Białystok in the Europa League on Thursday night, and managed one, weak, effort on target in the match.
|
Naderi (Premiership) |
25/26 |
26/27 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
9 |
2 |
|
xG |
2.69 |
0.51 |
|
Goals |
1 |
0 |
|
Big chances missed |
5 |
1 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
0 |
|
Assists |
1 |
0 |
His best performance in a Rangers shirt remains his two-goal haul in an 8-0 win over lower league outfit Queen’s Park in the SFA Cup in January, as he has only scored one goal in 11 league matches to date.
With Chermiti out for the foreseeable future, Derek McInnes now needs to replace Naderi before the end of the window, as he has yet to show that he is effective enough to start regularly for the club.
Rangers make offer to sign Ryan Naderi upgrade
Now, the Scottish giants have emerged as contenders to sign a new star who would arrive at Ibrox as an instant upgrade on the former Hansa Rostock marksman.
Journalist Tom Bogert reports that Glasgow Rangers are interested in a deal to sign Portland Timbers centre-forward Kevin Kelsy before the end of the summer transfer window.
The reporter claims that the Light Blues have made contact to submit an offer worth up to £7.4m for the Venezuela international to bolster their attacking options.
However, Bogert adds that the player is not pushing to leave and the MLS side are not keen on cashing in on him, which means that it will not be an easy deal to get over the line in the coming weeks.
If the Light Blues can reach an agreement to sign the impressive young forward, McInnes could have a much better number nine option than Naderi at his disposal.
The Timbers star’s form in the MLS in the 2026 campaign suggests that he is levels above the current Rangers centre-forward, who has only scored one league goal for the Scottish giants in the calendar year.
|
2026 MLS |
Kevin Kelsy |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
17 |
|
Starts |
12 |
|
xG |
7.95 |
|
Goals |
9 |
|
Minutes per goal |
112 |
|
Big chances created |
4 |
|
Assists |
2 |
He has scored nine goals in 12 starts in the division this year for his current club, whilst Naderi has never scored more than eight goals in a single league campaign, and that came in the third tier of German football.
Kelsy also scored seven goals from 6.29 xG and created four ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 19 starts in the MLS during the 2025 campaign for Timbers, further backing up his clinical edge in front of goal.
These statistics suggest that the Venezuela international is levels above Naderi as an out-and-out goalscorer and would offer a greater threat in front of goal for McInnes’ side.
The 22-year-old is not just a goalscorer, though, as the physical number nine has also won 49% of his duels and 65% of his aerial duels in the MLS so far this year, showing that he can compete and duel with physical centre-backs.
Naderi, meanwhile, won 27% of his ground duels and 35% of his aerial duels in the Premiership last season for Rangers, struggling with the physicality of the division.
Therefore, the Gers could significantly strengthen their attacking options by swooping to sign Kelsy as an upgrade on the German striker before the end of the window.
