Rangers preparing move for “sensation” who’s better than McCausland

Glasgow Rangers maintained their pursuit of their rivals in the Scottish Premiership title race with a hard-fought 2-1 win over St Mirren on Sunday.

The Light Blues are three points adrift of first place with four matches left to play before the end of the 2023/24 league campaign, including a trip to Parkhead.

Philippe Clement’s side still have a chance to secure the domestic treble, having already won the League Cup, as they battle it out for the Premiership and have an SFA Cup final meeting with Celtic on the 25th of May.

This means that the bulk of the focus should be on matters on the pitch as there is plenty left to play for over the next three to four weeks of action.

However, planning is already underway for the summer transfer window as Head of Recruitment Nils Koppen looks to improve the Gers squad over the coming months, with one new target emerging this week.

Rangers interest in exciting young forward

According to Football Insider, Rangers are one of the teams interested in a summer deal to sign Macarthur FC attacker Raphael Rodrigues ahead of next season.

The report claims that the Light Blues and English Championship side Coventry City are both preparing moves to land the 20-year-old starlet, as Koppen attempts to bolster the team’s wide options.

It states that Mark Robins’ side have been watching the Dutch whiz for ‘some time’, whilst the Scottish giants have been keeping close tabs on his progress and are now lining up a swoop for his services.

Interestingly, English League Two outfit Swindon Town are said to be readying an ‘ambitious’ approach for the young gem, as their owner Clem Morfuni is hoping to use his Australian connections to facilitate a deal for Rodrigues.

Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke described the 5 foot 8 dynamo as a “sensation”, whilst the report hails the Gers target as an ‘eye-catching’ forward with quick feet and skills in his arsenal.

The outlet does not, however, reveal how much Macarthur FC are set to demand for their young wizard in the upcoming summer transfer window, which means that it remains to be seen how much Rangers would have to splash out to win the race for his signature in the coming weeks.

If Koppen and his team can secure a deal for Rodrigues, though, then they could land Clement a dream upgrade on Ross McCausland on the right flank.

Ross McCausland’s emergence at Rangers

The Northern Ireland international has established himself as a regular in the first-team squad, albeit not as a regular starter, under the Belgian boss this season.

Rangers hosted their annual end-of-season awards on Sunday night and the 20-year-old winger was crowned the club’s Young Player of the Year for his efforts this term.

On top of that, he is one of four nominees – alongside Motherwell’s Lennon Miller, Kilmarnock’s David Watson, and Dundee’s Lyall Cameron – to land the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award.

He has racked up 33 appearances in all competitions for the first-team during the 2023/24 campaign, including 24 in the Premiership and five in the Europa League.

13 of his 25 outings in the Scottish top-flight have come as a starter on the flank, but he has struggled to provide consistent quality in the final third.

As you can see in the table above, the Northern Irish whiz has averaged a goal or an assist every 8.3 matches, whilst coming out second-best in the majority of his duels.

The right-footed attacker, who turns 21 in May, has produced two goals and four assists in 35 first-team games in all competitions for the Gers throughout his career to date, having made two appearances before this season, and that is an average of one contribution every 5.8 clashes.

These statistics show that, whilst he has had a promising first full year with the senior squad, McCausland has a long way to go before he can be considered a star for Rangers.

The youngster may not even get a chance to improve on his numbers if Koppen signs Rodrigues, as the winger plays in the same position and has posted more impressive numbers at first-team level in Australia.

Raphael Rodrigues’ form in Australia

The 20-year-old attacker, who turns 21 in September, is four months younger than McCausland but has already racked up 49 first-team appearances in his career to date.

Born in the Netherlands, Rodrigues moved to Australia and made his senior debut for Melbourne City, with whom he produced two goals and one assist in 15 matches as a teenager.

The exciting whiz, who can play as an attacking midfielder and out on the right flank, then joined Macarthur FC on a free transfer last summer, and has enjoyed an impressive campaign with the club so far.

He has fired in six goals and assisted two in 32 matches for the club in all competitions, which is a return of one goal or assist every four games on average.

As you can see in the table above, Rodrigues has had the better season with his ability to score and create goals, whilst also driving past opposition players with the ball.

In the same number of games, the Gers target has scored four times as many goals as McCausland and created twice as many ‘big chances’ for his teammates, along with twice as many completed dribbles per game – illustrating his superiority in the final third.

Given they are both right-footed, 20-year-old, right wingers, these statistics suggest that Koppen would be signing a dream upgrade on the current Light Blues youngster by winning the race for the Dutch gem’s signature this summer.

It could, then, be an interesting battle between the two players to land a spot in the team on the right side of Clement’s attack, as they compete to prove to the manager that they have the potential to develop into a first-team regular for many more years to come.