Xavier Mbuyamba to be first Rangers January signing after Tom English admission
Rangers arguably need someone like Volendam centre-back Xavier Mbuyamba after what’s been seen in the Europa League.
Danny Rohl’s team lost to Ferencvaros at the Groupama Stadium on 11 December, with the hosts completing a comeback after defensive errors from the Gers.
The Light Blues arguably need reinforcements at the back in the winter transfer window, and Mbuyamba is someone who’s been linked with a move to Ibrox, with the youngster compared to Virgil van Dijk.
It looks like Andrew Cavenagh is ready to back the German manager in January, and the Netherlands Under-19 international may be the first arrival under the former Sheffield Wednesday boss.
Rangers will make significant transfer effort in January
Tom English revealed that someone at the Gers has told him to expect transfer activity in Govan in the coming weeks.
The BBC Sport journalist expects the Ibrox hierarchy to make a massive effort to strengthen their squad once the transfer window opens.
While multiple positions arguably need to be sorted out, Nasser Djiga and Emmanuel Fernandez’s underwhelming displays should make defensive reinforcements a priority for the Glaswegian outfit.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound on 12 December, English said: “I was speaking to somebody last week at the club. They will go again in January. I think they may go again in a fairly significant way.”
Mbuyamba emerged as a concrete target at Ibrox in the summer, but in the end, Kevin Thelwell opted for other options.
Speaking on Hotline Live on 16 July, Keith Jackson also had his say on the 23-year-old defender, saying: “Lots of comparisons between him, and I don’t think it’s a helpful comparison: the young Van Dijk. So is he someone Rangers are monitoring closely? Very possibly. Have they made a move? Have they opened discussions trying to get a deal done? Not as far as I’m aware.”
Xavier Mbuyamba stats to encourage fans at Ibrox
Derek Cornelius and John Souttar’s futures are up in the air, and the Gers have to plan for their future.
Rangers could get their hands on a talented prospect in Mbuyamba, who helped Volendam to promotion last season.
In the current campaign, the centre-back has posted some decent numbers in the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie, scoring one goal in 13 appearances, completing 83 per cent of his passes and 67 per cent of his dribbles, as per Sofascore.
The defender has also averaged one tackle per game in the Dutch top flight, 1.8 ball recoveries, 3.2 clearances and has won 58 per cent of his ground duels and 65 per cent of his aerial duels.
There’s evidently room for improvement for Mbuyamba, but he has shown a lot of potential in the Netherlands.
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