Glasgow Rangers enjoyed a fairly successful end to the summer transfer window as they managed to get two deals over the line before the deadline.
22-year-old, versatile, defender Neraysho Kasanwirjo arrived on a season-long loan from Feyenoord and attacking midfielder Nedim Bajrami signed on a permanent basis from Sassuolo.
However, they did fail to bring in the winger that they wanted to add to the squad. They were keen on a deal to sign Sam Edozie on loan from Premier League side Southampton, but balked at their £1m loan fee demand on deadline day.
The Light Blues ended the summer transfer window with 11 fresh faces, including Jefte, Liam Kelly, Mohammed Diomande, Oscar Cortes, Clinton Nsiala, Connor Barron, Vaclav Cerny, Hamza Igamane, and Robin Propper joining alongside Kasanwirjo and Bajrami.
Seven of those players are under the age of 23 and this suggests that the Gers are looking to bring in young talent who they can then develop and sell on for profit in the future, as they did in the past with the likes of Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey.
The hope will be that Philippe Clement can improve them, whilst still competing for silverware, over the coming month and years to create assets for the club.
One player who could have developed into a huge asset for Rangers was central midfielder Billy Gilmour, who the Gers missed out on hitting the jackpot with.
How much money Rangers received for Billy Gilmour
The Scottish whiz came up through the ranks at Ibrox and played for his country at U15 and U16 level before being snapped up by Premier League side Chelsea in 2017.
He joined the Light Blues in 2009, at the age of 8, and spent eight years in the academy. His performances at youth level for club and country were enough to convince the English giants to swoop for him ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.
As Gilmour was not old enough to have signed a professional contract Rangers, at the age of 15, Chelsea did not have to agree a normal transfer fee for his services.
Instead, they were able to sign the central midfielder and then agree a development fee, which Sky Sports reported to be an initial £500k for the teenage star, who had trained with the first-team already in Glasgow.
It was reported that then-Rangers head coach Pedro Caixinha, who had called him up for first-team training, attempted to convince the young starlet to remain at Ibrox, but the 15-year-old wanted to move to the Premier League to test his luck with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Due to the age at which he moved on from the Gers, the Scottish Premiership giants were not able to extract maximum value from his services, as shown by how his career has developed in recent seasons.
Billy Gilmour's time with Chelsea
The talented midfielder initially linked up with their U18 side and produced eight goals and three assists in 26 appearances before being moved up to the U23s.
Gilmour then racked up eight goals and ten assists in 40 outings for the U23s and earned himself a chance to showcase his skills in the first-team.
The Scotland international went on to play 22 first-team matches for Chelsea, 11 of which came in the 2020/21 campaign and two of which came in the Champions League – the season they beat Manchester City in the final.
Chelsea then allowed the midfield prospect to spend the 2021/22 season on loan with Norwich City, who had just been promoted to the top-flight.
Appearances
24
Pass accuracy
84%
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.4
Dribbled past per game
1.6
Duel success rate
47%
As you can see in the table above, it was a character-building year for Gilmour as he struggled in the middle of the park for the Canaries, who were eventually relegated from the division.
However, his struggles – losing over half his duels and almost being dribbled past twice per game on average – did not stop Brighton from swooping to sign him for £9m in the summer of 2022.
That move, after less than 50 games of senior club football, showed that Rangers missed out on a huge talent when they lost him at the age of 15 for just £500k, and his latest move has emphasised that point further.
The deal Napoli have agreed for Billy Gilmour
The Scotland international secured a high-profile move away from the AMEX on deadline day to join Italian giants Napoli on a permanent deal.
It was reported that Antonio Conte's side have agreed an initial fee of £12m that could rise to £16m for the central midfielder, and that they had an offer of £8m turned down earlier in the summer transfer window.
Gilmour made 60 first-team appearances for Brighton in his two seasons on the south coast in England, providing four assists but failing to score, and was described as a "popular" figure by technical director David Weir.
30 of those outings came in the Premier League under Roberto De Zerbi during the 2023/23 campaign, as he emerged as a regular fixture in the middle of the park.
Appearances
30
Pass accuracy
92%
Ball recoveries per game
4.4
Dribbled past per game
0.8
Big chances created
3
As you can see in the table above, Gilmour was dribbled past less than once per game on average, which is a huge improvement on his form for Norwich in the 2021/22 season.
The Scottish metronome was also an incredibly reliable operator in possession, as shown by his 92% pass accuracy, and his form convinced Napoli to pay up to £16m for him.
Overall, Rangers missed out on hitting the jackpot with Gilmour because a player they once lost for £500k is now worth up to £16m, a value rise of a whopping 3,100%.
Pundit believes that Rangers should have cashed in on "£4-5m player"
He’s currently injured…
ByTom CunninghamAug 31, 2024
It would be harsh to blame the Light Blues for their part in it, as there was little they could do to stop him moving on before he coudl sign a professional deal, but it is still a sour one for the Scottish giants all the same.
