Ishe Samuels-Smith seals move amid Rangers transfer links
Rangers have been credited with an interest in signing Manchester-born left-back Ishe Samuels-Smith.
The 19-year-old’s youth career began at Everton before he moved to Chelsea in 2023.
However, he did not make a senior appearance for any of the two Premier League sides.
Samuels-Smith seals permanent Chelsea exit
The Daily Record reported on 30 July that Samuels-Smith was linked with a move to the Glasgow side.
The Ibrox outfit do want to strengthen their ranks in the coming weeks as they aim to reclaim the Scottish Premiership title.
Russell Martin wants Rangers to sign more defenders to give themselves the best chance of achieving that goal.
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Chelsea U21 | 44 | 2 | 7 |
| Everton U18 | 30 | – | – |
| Everton U21 | 19 | – | – |
| Chelsea U18 | 8 | – | 2 |
However, one player who will not be moving to Gers is Samuels-Smith.
Chelsea announced that the 19-year-old defender has completed a permanent transfer to one of their sister clubs, Strasbourg.
Rangers need to sign a new full-back despite Max Aarons’ arrival
Rangers must prioritise signing a new full-back despite Max Aarons’ arrival, as James Tavernier’s struggles and Ridvan Yilmaz’s likely departure expose vulnerabilities.
Tavernier, at 33, has shown defensive frailties and his attacking impact has also dipped.
His age and errors in games suggest he’s no longer reliable as a starter.
Yilmaz does not appear to be in Russell Martin’s plans at Ibrox, so an exit is very likely this summer.
While Aarons brings dynamism, his adaptation from Norwich’s Championship setup to Rangers’ high-stakes Champions League qualifiers against teams like Panathinaikos carries risk.
A new full-back with proven top-tier experience would provide depth, competition, and defensive stability.
With Martin’s possession-based system demanding versatile defenders, securing a reliable option is critical to avoid over-reliance on Aarons and to bolster Gers’ title and European ambitions.
While Aarons has played as a left-back in pre-season and against Panathinaikos, a specialist left-back arriving could see Martin moving him to right-back.
It remains to be seen if signing another full-back is on the cards in the coming weeks for the Gers boss.
Sign up for the Ibrox News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Rangers news sent straight to your phone.