Very unexpectedly, one Rangers player appears to have turned a little bit of a new leaf and turned it around at Ibrox. Fundamentally Rangers fans were not impressed, especially with this one significant summer signing. It was believed by supporters en masse he was not up to the task. Plus this was a player Ibrox Noise backed hugely, given his CV and what we were seeing. That player is Nasser Djiga. Could a Nasser Djiga signing happen?
Early struggles and improvement
Basically the Burkina Faso international went through a lean patch of form at Rangers. He struggled for cohesion in partnerships. He clearly could not play alongside John Souttar. That saw him at some of his worst, although there were glimpses of his talent. While we are not saying the Djiga and Emmanuel Fernandez partnership is the best, it has been consistent enough. We are starting to see Djiga improve. He is forming an understanding with his teammate. It has changed the minds of some Rangers fans. Fans are beginning to see more in Djiga than before. The criticism has eased slightly. There is now some appreciation for what he offers.
Value, comparison and attributes
There has been discussion about the price Djiga would command. We already knew this was not a loan to buy. Wolves clearly see the former Red Star player as surplus. And his cost would be around £10M, which was his value when Rangers signed him on loan. Ibrox Noise looked at his value, his CV, and his career.
We knew he was a decent defender but it has taken around the past month for fans to start giving him credit. Meanwhile, John Souttar has gone the other way. Moreover, his season has not been strong. He has faced a lot of criticism. Despite that, he still receives national team call ups. Djiga had been inconsistent at best. We saw glimpses of his ability with some brute force defending. He is not the biggest player plus he is also not the most composed on the ball. But he reads the game well. He can stop players with strong, physical defending. For pure defending, he is very effective.
Future outlook
He may not distribute well and may not dominate physically. He may still struggle with partnerships. But there is clearly a defender in Djiga. There is speculation about whether Rangers will sign him permanently. Is he one we would want to keep? Ibrox Noise believes that building a defence around Djiga could work well. He needs a dominant partner next to him. That player must be strong in the air and comfortable on the ball. That type of player is rare. It is encouraging to see Djiga getting more credit. The heavy criticism at him has eased. He is a decent defender. Whether Nasser Djiga signing happens remains to be seen.