A Rangers player who was “big” under Barry Ferguson has now reached an agreement to join another club, according to their sporting director.
Gers manager Russell Martin was left hugely unimpressed after Saturday’s 1-1 draw away to Motherwell, during which the hosts managed more shots despite seeing far less of the ball: “Some of them have to drop their ego, I’ll look at us tactically and accept my responsibility in it. But today, it’s not really tactical, it’s a mentality problem, and we got more than what we deserved actually.”
TalkSPORT presenter Jeff Stelling has since accused Martin of going over the same script he did during his time in charge at Southampton last season: “Listen to this. Russell Martin, and I quote, ‘there was no aggression, no courage, no intensity, I saw self-preservation on the pitch. If you don’t want to run and fight, we have a big problem’.
“Now that wasn’t yesterday…that was October 2024, when his Southampton side had lost against Bournemouth. “So this is almost a little speech that he’s got there when his team don’t perform.”
It feels like Martin wouldn’t be unhappy to see certain players leave Rangers this summer, and an exit update has now emerged regarding one member of the squad.
Club reach agreement to sign "big" Rangers player
According to a fresh claim Sports Digitale [via Sport Witness], Besiktas sporting director Serdal Adali claims Rangers left-back Ridvan Yilmaz has reached an agreement to re-join the club. This comes after Sabah [via Sport Witness] reported earlier in the day that they have made contact over the signing of the Turk this summer.
The Gers are thought to be demanding £4.3m for his services, although a loan move is the Turkish club’s preferred option, with the defender open to leaving Ibrox before the end of the transfer window.
Yilmaz departing this summer makes complete sense, considering he isn’t part of Martin’s plans, despite Ferguson talking highly of him earlier this year when he was manager.
“He’s played in a position which is pretty foreign to him. He’s played right back for us. His natural position is left back. But he’s one player I can rely on. He doesn’t moan. I’ve asked him to play different positions. He’s become a big player. I like his attitude. His attitude has always been first class.”
Yilmaz wasn’t part of the matchday squad against Motherwell over the weekend, and it is hard to see his situation changing as the season goes on, so he needs to leave Rangers.
Appearances
77
Goals
2
Assists
6
Ideally, the Gers would receive a fee for him, however, using those funds to go towards new signings between now and the end of the window. A loan exit is the next-best option.
