Glasgow Rangers won’t take much positive from their weekend draw at Easter Road, especially considering the Ibrox side led 2-0 and 3-2 at stages during the game, but still managed to draw 3-3.
Defensive problems ensure that the Light Blues will not win Premiership title this season, while Robin Propper and Dujon Sterling struggled against Hibs on Sunday afternoon, failing to deal with the opposition in the final third.
Despite the lost points in Edinburgh, one player stood out among the Gers underdogs – Hamza Igamane.
The striker is one of the stories of the season for the club. Eyebrows were raised last summer when he Philippe Clement spent £1.7m on the youngsterwho joined from AS FAR in Morocco.
Fast forward seven months later and Igamane is showing plenty of established first team players at the club.
Hamza Igamane’s season in numbers
The 22-year-old arrived in Glasgow nursing a minor injury which meant it took him a few weeks to eventually make the senior squad for the game. His he made his debut at Parkhead during the final stages of a 3-0 defeat. We are talking about a baptism of fire for the striker, who has not played football outside of Africa before.
It didn’t take long for him to leave his mark, especially in Europe. In four games between October and December, Igamane not only started twice, but scored four goals and registered one assist.
In addition to goals, the center forward has averaged 1.3 key passes and 1.3 successful dribbles per game, as well as an average of 1.5 shots per game and this led to a jump in his confidence.
During the festive period, had it not been for Igamane, Rangers would surely have slipped further behind Celtic. That is certain.
The Ibrox side were trailing 2-0 against Motherwell during the last game of 2024 before the striker scored twice to secure a point.
As mentioned, his three-goal volley against Hibs at the weekend should have been enough for the club to take all three points, but it wasn’t to be.
His displays have even attracted a lot of attention recently, as Igamane could possibly be the next big thing to leave Ibrox for the big bucks.
Really, Everton have reportedly sent scouts to watch Rangers take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League just before Christmas and it certainly won’t be long before the club sends in a bid to test the Light Blues’ resolve.
|
Hamza Igamane’s stats for Rangers this season |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Metric |
European league |
Premiership |
|
Objectives |
4 |
7 |
|
Shots per game |
1.5 |
2.6 |
|
Great chances were created |
0 |
4 |
|
Assists |
1 |
0 |
|
Successful dribbles per match |
1.3 |
1 |
Clement will look to add some more players to his squad between now and the end of the winter window. With defenders the obvious priority due to the injury problems plaguing the club, could the Belgian also make a move for a striker?
One name has been linked, and he could be a dream rival for Igamane, no doubt about it.
Rangers could sign rival Igamana this month
Towards the end of 2024. South African publication SNL24 claimed the Ibrox side are monitoring striker Iqraam Rayners ahead of a potential move when the winter window opens.
“There was an inquiry about Iqraam (Rayners) from Rangers of Scotland,” a source told SNL24. “I don’t think there was any offer from them at this stage. What I do know is that they have shown interest and are continuing to follow him.”
Much will depend on what budget Clement has to play with this month and whether he may have to move to some deadwood to clear up space in his squad.
Rayners certainly got off to a late start, but if he moves to Glasgow, the 29-year-old could rival Igamane for a place in the starting XI, especially after a solid start to the season.
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Since moving to Mamelodi Sundowns last summer, the South African hitman has been on fire, scoring 13 goals in just 19 games in all competitions, which equates to a goal every 1.46 games.
This number of shots wouldn’t miss at Ibrox, that’s for sure. The question is, could Rayners transfer the form he is showing in his homeland to Scotland if he secures his dream move this month?
His success during 2024 was praised journalist Joshua Hendrickswho said: “Rayners has scored an impressive 23 goals in all competitions in 2024, more than any other Premier League player. The milestone marks his best haul to date, with 11 goals at Stellenbosch and 12 at Mamelodi Sundowns.”
In the country, Rayners an average of 1.7 shots per gamesucceeds in 75% of his dribbling attempts and created one big chance. Perhaps even more important is his clinical nature in the opposition field.
Indeed, during the South African Premier League season, Rayners has only missed one big chance, while his goal conversion rate currently stands at 40%, which shows just how impressive he has been in front of goal this season.
At international level, the striker has also been in good form. Through ten games for South Africa during the calendar year, Rayners managed to hit the net on four occasions, including twice in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers as South Africa went unbeaten throughout the campaign.
Following the success of Igamane following his move from Africa to Scotland in recent months, Clement will be hoping that Rayners can repeat this success if he secures a permanent move to Rangers.
If so, the Gers might just open up a new market where more players from Africa could soon be linked with the club, who will shine before they leave for big profits.
The manager has both Igamane and Danilo to call upon, with the two shining during the festive period, but Rayners would add stiff competition.
The club need to seal a deal as soon as possible and a return to the African market could see the Light Blues sign another gem.
