Nils Koppen ‘pulls off final Rangers masterstroke’ before Ibrox exit
Nils Koppen is set to part ways with Rangers next week after arriving in January 2024 from PSV Eindhoven.
The Belgian chief joined the Gers as their director of recruitment in January 2024 and subsequently assumed the role of technical director.
With Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises completing their takeover of the Light Blues, Dan Purdy joined as technical director to help Kevin Thelwell.
The US consortium’s arrival has led to a reshuffle in management, and Koppen will soon leave Ibrox, but he has already pulled off a masterstroke during his short tenure.
Rangers to make massive profit on Hamza Igamane as Koppen to thank for transfer
Koppen convinced Igamane to sign for the Gers, according to the Daily Record.
The news outlet reports (27 June) that it was the Belgian chief who moved the Light Blues to data-led scouting, uncovering the Moroccan youngster at Ibrox.
| Competition (2024/25) | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Scottish Premiership | 33 | 12 | 1 |
| Europa League | 10 | 4 | 1 |
| Scottish Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Premier Sports Cup | 2 | 0 | 1 |
LOSC Lille could now pay more than £10million for the 22-year-old, a year after he joined the Glaswegian outfit for £1.5m from AS FAR.
While the former PSV scout is set to leave the Bears, he undoubtedly deserves massive credit for the change in recruitment policy last summer, which could imminently lead to considerable profit.
Russell Martin will hope for Igamane transfer replacement at Ibrox
Igamane’s move to Lille seems imminent, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Gers accept a significant offer for him.
The 22-year-old broke into the Light Blues’ starting lineup under Philippe Clement midway through last season and ended up cementing his place in the starting lineup for a while.
Barry Ferguson’s arrival saw the Morocco international lose his place in the team, but the Ligue 1 outfit have evidently seen enough from the striker to take a gamble on him.
Rangers have Cyriel Dessers at their disposal, but the Nigerian centre-forward could also leave this summer amid interest from AEK Athens.
It would make sense for the Gers to cash in on the 30-year-old, but Igamane’s sale would undoubtedly make that tricky.
Dessers was the Light Blues’ leading goalscorer last season, and they may need to keep him if the former AS FAR star leaves.
The Glaswegian outfit evidently need to bolster their attack in the coming weeks, but that could potentially depend on the outgoings in the coming weeks.
If both Igamane and Dessers leave, the Bears will arguably need to make a significant investment, and the situation in G51 is one to keep an eye on.