Rangers are starting to make some serious moves in the transfer market.
On Wednesday, in a double-deal day, the Light Blues unveiled both Joe Rothwell and Emmanuel Fernandez as their latest new recruits.
They follow Max Aarons and Lyall Cameron through the door at Ibrox already this summer, but Russell Martin’s squad rebuild is far from finished yet.
Rangers targeting midfield reinforcements
Martin will take charge of Rangers for the very first time this weekend, with Club Brugge the opponents for a pre-season friendly at Ibrox on Sunday.
Meantime, it’s now less than three weeks until the serious business begins, with Panathinaikos visiting Govan for the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round tie on 22 July.
With speed very much of the essence in the transfer market, a report by Joshua Barrie of the Rangers Review claims that the club are in ‘advanced talks’ with Luton Town as they aim to sign midfielder Thelo Aasgaard, adding that Rangers are ‘confident’ that a deal will be finalised in the coming days.
Meantime, the Daily Mail believe the Norwegian international will cost more than £3m, with the Hatters looking to cash in and cut costs, following back-to-back relegations which leaves them in EFL League One.
Born on Merseyside, Aasgaard was in Liverpool’s academy, but made his senior breakthrough at Wigan Athletic, accumulating 163 appearances for the Latics, scoring 30 goals.
He only signed for Luton as recently as January, starting all 17 of their EFL Championship fixtures following his arrival, scoring against both Cardiff City and Bristol City.
These performances earned him senior international recognition for the first time too, handed his debut by Norway manager Ståle Solbakken against Moldova in a World Cup qualifier in March, marking the occasion by scoring the third goal of a 5-0 victory in Chișinău.
Now, Aasgaard appears set to take his game to the next level again by moving to Glasgow.
Why Thelo Aasgaard could thrive with Joe Rothwell
The aforementioned Rothwell had arrived at Rangers from Bournemouth to much excitement, with writer Kai Watson labelling him an ‘excellent passer’, adding he is exactly what Rangers need, hence why he believes he will prove to be ‘a very smart signing’.
The 30-year-old has plenty of EFL experience, spending last season on loan at Leeds United, winning the Championship title, having previously represented Blackpool, Barnsley, Oxford United, Blackburn Rovers and Southampton, also appearing 31 times in the Premier League for Bournemouth.
Nevertheless, seven years his junior, Aasgarrd could prove to be the bigger of the two talents.
Shaun Maloney, who was his manager at Wigan, described the Norwegian as a “machine” physically, adding that he is “really intelligent… and a leader on the pitch”, also labelling him “incredibly talented”.
So, let’s assess how Rangers’ two new midfielders compared last season.
Appearances
48
39
Minutes
4,054
2,500
Goals
14
Zero
Assists
3
4
All statistics below are per 90
Shots
1.4
0.3
Passes attempted
25.1
66.9
Pass completion %
76.3%
91.1%
Chances created
0.8
2.5
Duels contested
11.6
4.4
Ground duels won
4.5
2.2
Tackles
1.2
1
Clearances
1.7
0.6
Interceptions
0.6
1
Touches
45.9
81.7
The table makes for interesting reading, because it actually suggests that these two could form a good midfield partnership.
Rothwell is much more of a tempo-setting, controlling in-possession player, underlined by the fact he attempted significantly more passes per 90, as well as creating more chances and registering more touches of the ball.
Meantime, Aasgaard is an all-action midfielder, hence why he comes out on top for defensive metrics, namely duels, tackles and clearances, but is also a goal threat, scoring more goals and registering almost five times as many shots per 90.
Thus, at 23 years old, Aasgaard still has plenty of time to develop and get even better, so could prove to be a bargain signing for Rangers and a dream partner for Rothwell.
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