Journalist shares update on Ridvan Yilmaz future at Rangers after exit speculation
Journalist Kutlu Akpinar does not believe Ridvan Yilmaz will leave Rangers in January amid previous rumours the full-back would be loaned out.
Yilmaz has been restricted to just 12 Scottish Premiership starts since joining from Besiktas in July 2022.
A report suggested in September that the left-back was close to returning to Turkey with Galatasaray, but he instead stayed put at Ibrox.
And with the January window now just seven weeks away, Tivibu Spor reporter Akpinar does not see Yilmaz departing any time soon.
“Rangers paid 6 million [Euros] for Ridvan and their expectations are very high,” Akpinar posted on his personal Twitter page [15 November].
“The possibility of being loaned was brought up at the beginning of the season, but both his club and he wanted to stay in the team. I don’t think he will leave.”
Turnaround
Suggestions that Yilmaz could depart in the summer were not all that surprising, especially on the back of Dujon Sterling arriving from Chelsea.
However, the Turkish defender has become a more prominent member of the Rangers first team since Philippe Clement replaced Beale.
Yilmaz recently started three Scottish Premiership games in a row in the absence of Borna Barisic – each of those matches ending in victory.
In fact, Yilmaz has already started half the number of league games this season (four) compared to the whole of last season (eight).
That is hardly a statistic to shout from the rooftops, but the former Besiktas ace has showed over the past month he is ready to step up.
With question marks over the future of Barisic, it now seems certain Yilmaz will not leave Ibrox, particularly not on loan.
And if he can hold down a regular starting spot at left-back, it would mark quite the turnaround for the Turkey international.
In other Rangers news, a club chief has issued an apology over the ticket fiasco surrounding the Viaplay Cup final.