Glasgow Rangers They had the opportunity to produce another impressive performance on Sunday to back up their stunning Old Firm win just days earlier.
Instead, it was the same Rangers that Ibrox followers have seen so often of this season. A team cannot simply eliminate a team, no matter how many goals they have in front of them.
Hamza Ighamani scored two goals in the first 20 minutes. The first was a neat shot into the bottom corner, while the second saw the Moroccan striker display his Alfredo Morelos-like qualities by scoring a stunning header.
Despite the youngster eventually scoring a hat-trick, the Light Blues conceded three goals to draw 3-3 and drop further behind Celtic in the league. Premier League table.
Philip Clement He needs to bring in some new signings this month, especially in defence.
With this in mind, it appears as though the Ibrox outfit have been linked with a signing for a Ligue 1 defender…
Rangers are looking to sign the Marseille defender
according to Journalist Saber Desfargeswho works for French outlet Telefoot, Rangers are said to be interested in signing Marseille centre-back Pamo Meite this month.
The Ligue 1 side are willing to let the player leave, with the Gers looking to secure a loan move between now and the end of the season.
Montpellier are also interested, but Marseille appear to be looking for a fee for the player, who moved to French side Riveria on a permanent deal last summer.
This could be a stumbling block, especially with the financial uncertainty surrounding the club at the moment. This would mean that several players would have to be sold before anyone could be brought in.
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Clement has several midfielders injured at the moment, increasing the need for some reinforcements for the position and Mete could be an excellent signing if given the opportunity in the starting XI.
Why do Rangers need to sign Mete?
It might be the Ibrox side He conceded only 16 goals Through 20 league games so far this season, but that's still nine more than Celtic, which is ultimately what the title race boils down to.
Consider the four games over the holiday season as a starting point. The Gers dropped points against St Mirren (lost 2-1), Motherwell (drew 2-2) and Hibs (drew 3-3), and ironically their only clean sheet came against Celtic in a 3-0 win at Ibrox.
John Souttar missed all four matches, while Leon Balogun had to come off against St Mirren, and subsequently missed the next three matches. James Tavernier has missed the last two games as well.
This meant Clement had to move left-back Ridvan Yilmaz to the right side of the defence, while unleashing Dogon Sterling, the right-back, alongside Robin Prober. Not perfect.
A 3-0 win over Celtic certainly seems strange given the other three results, but Propper could be one of the club's main problems with Mete a sought-after substitute this month.
How does Pamu Mete compare to Robin Proper
Upon his arrival, he signed the defender he had He played more than 200 matches in the Dutch League Games during his career seem like a solid move, especially considering he At a cost of only £1.5 million.
He was brought in to replace Connor Goldson, and it wasn't exactly easy, that's for sure. Propper has struggled greatly with the physicality of Scottish football, and appears not to be strong enough to cope with the demands.
In Europe, the Dutch have He won only 45% of his total duels Per match, while he lost possession of the ball 7.8 times, committed 1.5 errors, and passed 0.5 times per match in the second-tier competition in Europe.
The move did not pan out as Clement expected, and combined with the injury issues in defence, hopefully there will be some new players for the position by the end of the month.
|
Robin Propper Rangers stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Metric (per 90) |
Premier League |
European League |
|
Accurate passes |
65.7 |
35 |
|
Lost possession |
8.5 |
7.8 |
|
Total duels won |
6.1 |
3.2 |
|
He treats |
1.8 |
1.2 |
|
Objections |
1.1 |
0.8 |
Signing Mete on a six-month loan would make a lot of sense, especially considering his form for Marseille last season.
The 23-year-old has made just three appearances for his club this season, featuring for 24 minutes in total. Therefore, looking at his stats from 2023/24 is the best way to judge how good a player he is.
He moved to Marseille on loan from FC Lorient and He made a total of 25 appearances For the French giants.
Comparing his stats since then to Propper's numbers this season, it's clear he could be an upgrade on the Dutchman.
In fact, Mete has a higher average passing success rate than the former FC Twente giant (91% vs 90%), while they were dribbled on fewer occasions (0.3 vs. 0.4), won a higher percentage of aerial duels (68% vs. 61%) and lost possession fewer times (3.8 vs. 8.5) per match in their respective league.
When compared to his positional peers in Europe's top five leagues, Mete's defensive stats stand out. Not only him Ranked in the top 92% for tackles per 90 (2.18), but the youngster also ranks in the top 86% for clearances per 90 (5.15) and in the top 80% for tackles per 90 (1.6), which indicates how much he admires his club in the Premier League. Center back.
It doesn't make sense to sign a player with these qualities, especially if a fee doesn't have to be paid. Meite could be an ideal short-term option to fix the current defensive issues plaguing the Ibrox side at the moment.
Scottish content creator and founder of Rangers Magazine, Kay Watson, paid tribute to the Ivorian, saying: “Physical and aggressive“Amid the recent links and this is exactly the kind of profile the club requires.
Conceding too many easy goals, Mete appears to have the required fitness that can ensure Premier League strikers are not given too many chances in the final third.
The transfer window is still only a few days old, but signing sooner rather than later might give Clement some credit in the bank. Only time will tell.
