Rangers told two players they should have signed instead of Jayden Meghoma with real resale value
Rangers took a big gamble on signing several players under the age of 23 during the summer transfer window.
Kevin Thelwell has come under scrutiny for his transfer strategy in the summer, with many of the new signings not adapting well to life at Ibrox.
One youngster who has been promising is 19-year-old Jayden Meghoma, who joined on loan from Brentford.
However, after the left-back’s shaky performance against Hibernian in the Premier Sports Cup, Michael Stewart has already named two players that Rangers should have signed instead.
James Penrice and Greg Taylor named by Michael Stewart as better alternatives
Rangers were linked with Taylor and Penrice in the summer, but ultimately opted for the inexperienced full-back from Brentford.
Speaking on the Scottish Football Social Club podcast on 22 September, Stewart highlighted why Rangers were better off not signing Meghoma.
He said: “Nobody can convince me that whatever you’ve spent on a loan fee for a 19-year-old wouldn’t have been more wisely spent on a James Penrice, or a Greg Taylor.
“They would be your player, they’re Scottish, which is definitely a help when it comes to European football, and have an actual resale value for Rangers.”
Both Penrice and Taylor have now moved to the Greek League, yet they were available after having brilliant seasons for Hearts and Celtic, respectively.
In 2024/25, they both statistically outperformed the numbers Meghoma is putting up now.
| Stat | Meghoma (25/26) | Penrice (24/25) | Taylor (24/25) |
| Minutes played | 202 | 2907 | 2037 |
| Interceptions per game | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.6 |
| Tackles per game | 1.7 | 2.3 | 1.3 |
| Ground duels won (per cent) | 46.7 | 56.4 | 58.3 |
| Aerial duels won (per cent) | 33.3 | 45.1 | 43.3 |
With Meghoma possessing no resale value, it does seem like a strange decision not to go for one of the Scottish options.
Jayden Meghoma can thrive alongside Derek Cornelius
Meghoma had to deal with John Souttar playing on his unfavoured left side for the first five weeks of the season, which ultimately affected his confidence.
Derek Cornelius’ arrival will allow Souttar to move back to the right, with Rangers now much more confident building out from the back.
Meghoma will now have a left-footed centre-back who can fire passes into him, whilst it also means he can start much wider out on the left than before.
Meghoma can only continue to develop, and with two experienced internationals now playing behind him, there are no excuses for any sloppy performances.
Ultimately, you can’t throw cash at every position, and the loan market has to be used when undergoing such a huge rebuild.
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