The impact that Danny Rohl has made since arriving at the Rangers cannot be understated.
The German player pulled the team that looked finished under Russell Martin in the title race as there are only four games left to play in the Scottish Premiership. Even if it doesn’t end with silverware, this is just the beginning for the talented young manager at Ibrox.
It’s not just results Rohl has changed, either. The former Sheffield Wednesday manager has also secured a summer signing like the next Glen Kamara.
How Kamara came to be a Rangers player
Kamara and Steven Gerrard were a match made in heaven at Rangers. The Liverpool star took to boxing and got the best of the Finnish midfielder, who helped bring back the Scottish Premiership title.
By the time he left Ibrox, Kamara had made 193 appearances for the club. Even if things turned sour, as he was banished from the club under Michael Beale before leaving in the summer of 2023, there’s no denying the impact the midfielder made at his best under Gerrard.
“Obviously I knew the player and what you saw against Kilmarnock is why we wanted to bring him in this summer. Thank you that we were able to bring him in early.
“He was a class player the other night, I thought he was brilliant from start to finish. (Gerrard on Kamara in 2019)
There was also no denying that there was a sense of inevitability about Kamara’s future at the club. As he continued to steal the headlines, a move was always on the cards and English football soon came calling for Leeds United.
It’s a familiar story for Rangers, who will be keen to avoid a repeat of Emmanuel Fernandez – a player who has shown every sign of earning the same honor this season.
The guards found another Kamara
It was hard to see where Fernandez’s role would end up at Rangers under Martin.
The same could be said for almost all of the new signings at the time – it was a bad sign of the manager’s tenure. But the arrival of Rohl has changed that. Fernandez is not only getting game time, he is thriving as a key member of Germany’s best squad.
|
Fernandez 25/26 |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
1,907 |
|
Fighting |
41 |
|
Duel success |
67.9% |
|
Pass accuracy |
87.9% |
|
Recovery |
109 |
Under Martin, the defender only played twice. It speaks to Rohl’s transformation that Fernandez has played a key role since then – starting 19 of the last 22 games in the Scottish Premiership.
Not all is good about the Rangers, however. Fernandez’s form has reportedly attracted interest from clubs as impressive as Arsenal, who are eyeing a club-record £35m move this summer.
From a profit standpoint, it will be a great deal for the 49er, just like it was when the Rangers traded Kamara. A mere £100,000 signing from Dundee, he ended up leaving for £5m, banking on a huge profit. The same can happen. The Gers signed Fernandez for just £3.5m from Peterborough last summer and would represent a further £31m for his sale.
From a football point of view, it would be a big blow. If Rangers are to return to the Scottish top flight for the first time since 2021, they must do better to retain their best players.
Whether or not Fernandez can push the move, himself, is a question worth asking. The last thing Rohl needs is a dirty move like the one Kamara brought back Beale in 2023.
The chance of a serious profit will attract Rangers, but the 49ers must prioritize building a squad that can win the Scottish Premiership rather than taking it away this summer.
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