5’8″ “sensation” Koppen is getting ready for the Rangers to sign him; he’s a dream McCausland improvement. – viewpoint

Glasgow Rangers defeated St Mirren 2-1 on Sunday to keep up their chase of their competitors in the Scottish Premiership title match.

With four games remaining in the 2023–24 league season, including a trip to Parkhead, the Light Blues are three points out of first place.

With the League Cup already won, Philippe Clement’s team still has a chance to complete the domestic treble. They will play Celtic in the SFA Cup final on May 25 and compete for the Premiership.

There is still a lot to play for over the next three to four weeks of activity, so the majority of attention should be directed toward issues on the field.

But while Head of Recruitment Nils Koppen tries to bolster the Gers team over the next several months, preparations for the summer transfer market are already under way, with one fresh target revealed this week.

Rangers’ interest in the talented young player

Rangers are reportedly among the teams interested in a summer transfer for Macarthur FC attacker Raphael Rodrigues in order to join him before the 2019–20 campaign, according to Football Insider.

According to the source, Koppen is trying to expand the team’s possibilities, and the Light Blues and Coventry City, who play in the English Championship, are both planning efforts to sign the 20-year-old starlet.

According to the report, Mark Robins’ team has been observing the Dutch talent for “some time,” and the Scottish powerhouses have been closely monitoring him and are preparing an attack for his services.

Swindon Town, an English League Two team, is reportedly preparing a “ambitious” bid for the young talent. It is noteworthy that the team’s owner, Clem Morfuni, hopes to leverage his Australian connections to help arrange a transfer for Rodrigues.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider called the 5′ 8″ powerhouse a “sensation,” and the report praises the Gers target as a “eye-catching” striker with a variety of skills and fast feet.

It is unclear how much Rangers would need to spend to win the race for his signature in the coming weeks, though, as the report does not disclose how much Macarthur FC is expected to seek for their young magician in the approaching summer transfer window.

However, if Koppen and his group can work out a deal for Rodrigues, they may be able to provide Clement a fantastic upgrade over Ross McCausland on the right side.

The rise of Ross McCausland at the Rangers

Under the Belgian manager this season, the Northern Ireland international has made a name for himself in the first team roster, albeit not as a regular starter.

Sunday night was Rangers’ yearly end-of-season awards ceremony, where the 20-year-old winger took home the title of Young Player of the Year in recognition of his accomplishments this season.

In addition, he is one of four nominees for the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award, along with Lennon Miller of Motherwell, David Watson of Kilmarnock, and Lyall Cameron of Dundee.

During the 2023–24 season, he has made 33 appearances for the first team in all competitions, 24 of which have been in the Premier League and five of which have been in the Europa League.

He has started 13 of his 25 games in the Scottish Premier League as a flanker, although he has had difficulty producing high-caliber play in the last third.

The Northern Irish wizard has averaged a goal or an assist per 8.3 games, as the table above shows, and has finished second in most of his duels.

The right-footed attacker, who turns 21 in May, has made two appearances prior to this season and has contributed two goals and four assists in 35 first-team games across all competitions for the Gers in his career. That’s an average of one goal per 5.8 games.

These numbers indicate that McCausland still has a ways to go before he can be regarded as a Rangers star, despite having a strong first full season with the senior team.

If Koppen signs Rodrigues, the winger who plays in the same position and has more outstanding figures at first team level in Australia, the young player might not even get the chance to improve on his numbers.

The shape of Raphael Rodrigues in Australia

Despite being four months younger than McCausland, the 20-year-old attacker (who turns 21 in September) has made 49 appearances for the first team in his career.

Rodrigues, who was born in the Netherlands, immigrated to Australia and joined Melbourne City as a senior player. In 15 games as a teenager, he scored two goals and provided one assist.

The dynamic genius, who can play on the right side or as an offensive midfielder, joined Macarthur FC last summer on a free transfer and has had a fantastic season thus far.

In 32 games across all competitions, he has scored six goals and provided two assists for the team, an average of one goal or assist every four games.

As the table above illustrates, Rodrigues has had a stronger season due to his ability to score goals, set up goals, and maneuver the ball past opponents.

The Gers target has proven to be superior in the last third of the field by scoring four times as many goals as McCausland in the same amount of games, creating twice as many “big chances” for his teammates, and completing twice as many dribbles per game.

A current Championship player who has excelled this season is the target of the Rangers.
These numbers imply that if Koppen wins the competition to sign the Dutch gem this summer, he would be getting a dream improvement over the present Light Blues young player, as both are 20-year-old right wingers with right feet.
In an effort to convince the manager that they have what it takes to become a first-team regular for many more years to come, the two players may engage in an intriguing competition for a spot on the team on the right side of Clement’s attack.

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