Nasser Djiga’s cost Rangers millions already, Kevin Thelwell should drive him back to Wolves
Nasser Djiga put in a woeful performance as Rangers suffered a humiliating defeat against Club Brugge on Wednesday.
After Rangers lost to Brugge 3-1 in the first leg, a miracle was needed in Belgium for them to qualify for the Champions League.
However, that did not happen, as Russell Martin’s Rangers lost 6-0 at the Jan Breydel Stadium this week, confirming their drop into the Europa League.
This meant that Rangers suffered a 9-1 aggregate defeat to Club Brugge over the two legs.
Nasser Djiga puts in hapless display against Brugge
Rangers signed Djiga on loan from Wolves earlier this summer, and he was given a start by Martin in the second leg and it was a decision that the manager would soon regret.
The Wolves loanee was paired alongside John Souttar in the heart of the defence that could not concede if Gers were to pick up the most unlikely of three-goal victories.
That, of course, did not happen, but Djiga’s frailties were exposed in the first five minutes of the game.
| Statistic | Djiga vs Club Brugge |
| Aerial duels (won) | 1(0) |
| Long balls (accurate) | 2(0) |
| Shots blocked | 0 |
| Tackles | 0 |
Brugge left-back Joaquin Seys played in a cross and instead of using his physicality to outmuscle Nicolo Tresoldi, Djiga just allowed him to run ahead and score a diving header.
Even for the second goal, rather than competing for the header, he threw himself to the ground after feeling the slightest of pushes.
His entire performance was shambolic and Kevin Thelwell sending him back to Wolves before the transfer deadline may not even be the worst idea in the world.
Rangers miss out on £15m bounty
Djiga’s performance directly jeopardised their chances of securing the £15.7million automatic payout for reaching the Champions League’s league phase, per Sky Sports.
The 22-year-old loanee’s critical error early on set the tone for a defensive collapse, with Brugge scoring five goals in the first half.
Djiga display, marked by hesitation and poor positioning, exposed Rangers’ defensive frailties under Martin’s possession-based system, drawing fan fury and calls for his benching.
Losing funds that could have bankrolled a quality centre-back or a midfielder forces Rangers into tough transfer window decisions before 1 September.
With the Old Firm derby looming and Celtic dominant domestically, Gers must now prioritise budget signings or loans, potentially compromising squad depth, to avoid another trophyless season while managing fan unrest and Martin’s precarious position.
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