Rangers could land “monster” Balogun replacement in January move

Glasgow Rangers, who have won the first trophy of the season, will be full of confidence going into the hectic Christmas and New Year holiday season.

After a thrilling 1-0 victory over Aberdeen at Hampden over the weekend, Philippe Clement guided his team to their first League Cup title since 2011. Hopefully, this will serve as a springboard for many more victories to come.

Even with the win, the manager should still want to strengthen his squad in a few areas by adding a few new players during the January transfer window.

Rangers news: The search for a center-back

A few names have already been linked to a January move to the Rangers as the winter window draws near.

The Light Blues have reportedly expressed interest in Everton defender Ben Godfrey in recent weeks, while Mason Holgate, another center-back from Goodison Park, is also being mentioned as a potential transfer north of the border, according to 90min.

In addition, Clement is scouting for talent closer to home. Lennon Miller, a young player at Motherwell, seems to be on his radar, and the home-grown quota regulations for European competition make adding Scottish players beneficial.

It’s evident that the Belgian has his eye on a few players, but it’s unclear how much money he’ll have to spend come January.

Another player who has been linked to a move to the Light Blues is Nathaniel Adjei, and this rumor may be the most intriguing of all of them thus far.

The Hammarby defense has drawn interest from Celtic as well, so there may be competition between the two rival teams to see who can get the gifted player.

But his high price tag—the Swedish team apparently values him between £3 million and £4 million—might put him out of Clement’s reach come next month.

This could change if he is able to get rid of some deadwood, but for the players he decides aren’t a good fit for his team, the proper offer must come in.

Adjei’s signing would prove to be a wise investment, particularly because he has the potential to replace Leon Balogun in the long run.

The stats for Leon Balogun’s season

During the summer transfer window in 2020–2022, the 35-year-old defender returned to the team where he had enjoyed two successful years, reuniting with Michael Beale.

The Nigerian started just two games under Beale in the early going, indicating that he was primarily intended to be a stand-in for players like Connor Goldson, John Souttar, and Ben Davies.

He was even left out of the Europa League group stage squad list and many wondered why he had actually been brought back in the first place.

Balogun has appeared revitalized at the center of the defense since his dismissal and the hiring of the former head coach of Club Brugge.

In Clement’s ten domestic games to date, the former Wigan Athletic defender has started eight of them and has been playing well.

Balogun has demonstrated his effectiveness not just in one-on-one duels but also in advancing the ball out of the defense by winning an impressive 73% of his total duels over his league appearances this season while succeeding with 75% of his dribble efforts.

Despite doing well under the 49-year-old, Balogun only signed a one-year contract in the summer, and it appears he will leave the team for the second time the following season.

In light of this, Adjei is a young player who checks a lot of boxes, thus it makes sense to move for him.

Statistics for Nathaniel Adjei’s career

After making his debut in the 2022 Allsvenskan season, the 21-year-old has already made 31 appearances in his senior career. The 2023 season turned out to be his breakout year.

Adjei played in 21 games, starting 16 of them, and scoring one goal while gaining valuable experience in the top division.

In comparison to his present teammates, the 6′ 3″ titan was equally amazing, ranking fifth overall for accurate passes per game (40.8), third for accurate long balls (3.5), and third for clearances per game (2.7), demonstrating his remarkable talent.

The young Ghanaian is a physical presence, similar to Balogun. In the Swedish top flight, he won four duels overall, with a success rate of 61%. Additionally, he demonstrated in the 2023 season that he is not afraid to move the ball forward as often as possible, as evidenced by the fact that 82% of his attempted dribbles were successful.

For someone so young and inexperienced, these are fantastic numbers, and he seems to have all the physical characteristics needed to be successful in Scottish football.

In fact, back in November, Kai Watson, the editor of the well-liked and educational Rangers Journal, described the center-back as a “physical monster” in his analysis of his Hammarby season.

Adjei has two caps for the Ghana U23 team, but with the African Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast the following month, may his strong Scandinavian performances have hinted at a possible call-up for the senior team?

His status among his countrymen would undoubtedly rise with a transfer to a premier European team, and this may result in a debut cap sooner rather than later.

Last 5 African players to be signed by Rangers
Player	Year joined
Cyriel Dessers	2023
Abdallah Sima	2023
Leon Balogun	2023
Amad Diallo	2022
Fashion Sakala	2021
Via Transfermarkt

After signing from HJK Helsinki in 2017 and becoming into a cult hero at Ibrox, Alfredo Morelos contributed to Rangers’ past success in the Scandinavian market.

Clement won’t be resting on his laurels despite the fact that the Gers have the strongest defense in the Premiership right now this season.

Balogun is 35 years old, and this team will soon need to make changes because Connor Goldson (age 31) and Ben Davies (age 28) are by no means spring birds.