Word has got out recently about a summer Rangers scouting expedition going to be carried out by Rangers recruitment department. The speculation reported by the Daily Record centres on Porto and the fact that the Rangers team will be making eyes on the Portuguese giants to see what talent is potentially accessible in Govan. This has been reported as a bit of an exclusive by the Record, but the reality is a bit more uninteresting.
Routine scouting reality
Rangers, as we all know, will be scouting dozens of clubs, and hundreds of players over the next five or six months. Regardless of who may or may not be manager, the fact is that Rangers are always scouting other clubs. Rangers’ job is to try to find better players.
Recent transfer failures
We know, of course, that summer 2025’s window and indeed January this year have not been the best. The reality is that neither of these windows have strengthened the team. That is what it all boils down to. It does not matter how much you spend, if the team has not been strengthened, it has not worked out.
Last summer’s window is probably the worst of all time. Even though some of the players looked great on paper, they have not worked out on the pitch. We would say there has not been a single 8/10 scored player in the entire list.
Standout and underperformers
The only one who has been a shining beacon and an absolute colossus above everybody else is, of course, Tuur Rommens. He is a clear 9/10, if not higher, already. But nobody else is even an 8.
Ibrox Noise rated Manny Fernandez as a 7, even although there is a bizarre level of speculation around him, which we will get to in due course. Nevertheless, Rangers need to strengthen and they need players who will absolutely hike the level of the squad.
Need for impact signings
None of the rest of the players, give or take, signed in the last two windows have done that. The impact has to be there. The impact has to be obvious.
One of the big things Ibrox Noise has noted, we will get to more in another entry, is to do with the excuses fans make. These excuses often protect players who simply do not hit the ground running, like Ryan Naderi. Meanwhile, Tuur Rommens is tearing up the left back position.
The Porto angle
This is always another dichotomy, but it is for another entry, so we will leave that one there. Nevertheless, Rangers will be scouting dozens of clubs. Porto is a curious choice to get reported as an exclusive in all fairness.
They are a colossal club whose business is like Sporting Lisbon and Benfica. They bring in cheap, inexpensive South American players and sell them at an absolute fortune to rich European clubs. Think Joao Felix and Benfica. He brought them in £110M having been signed for peanuts.
Transfer model example
Also think Fabio Silva. He did not really work out that well at Porto, but still earned them £35M from Wolves. At the same time, he then ended up at Borussia Dortmund for £20, admittedly a loss for Wolves. Now Atletico Madrid are looking at him following his impressive spell with Las Palmas in La Liga. He hasn’t shone as well in Germany.
Regardless of the state of our scouting, Rangers will look at Porto and many other clubs as well. It is absolutely essential to bring in talent that actually improves the team. That is not something that is happening very often these days. Summer Rangers scouting expedition could yield good results.
Whether it’s Porto or anyone else, we need much better than we have.