Latest news with #Matondo
Daily Record
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
8 forgotten Rangers players' survival chances rated as winds of change set to blow through Ibrox with 49ers takeover
A huge summer revolution is on the cards at Ibrox and Record Sport looks at the chances of some loan stars surviving the big changes Rangers are preparing for yet another summer overhaul as the club's new US owners prepare to rip things up and start again. Kevin Thelwell has been recruited from Everton to fill the role of sporting director and has already sat down with interim boss Barry Ferguson to work out which - if any - of the current Ibrox first-team figures are good enough to play a part next season. But as well as the current squad members, Gers have a swathe of forgotten men who have been farmed out to clubs elsewhere that will be seeking answers on what's next for them in Glasgow. Do any of them have a future with the Glasgow giants? Jose Cifuentes Michael Beale touted the Ecuadorian as the man to take Gers to the next level when he was signed for £1.2million in the summer of 2023. But the laidback former LAFC midfielder never looked suited to the harum-scarum nature of Scottish football. He managed just 20 appearances in a Rangers shirt before being sent to Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro on a year long loan. He registered a dozen games in South America before that deal was ripped up six months early, with the 26-year-old moving instead to Aris Thessalonika. He's had a better time of it in Greece, making 30 appearances for a side still hoping to qualify for Europe this season. What happens next is to be decided, however. Greek sources claimed Aris had agreed a £3million option to buy when he moved last summer but it looks like that kind of fee is beyond their means and they are now hoping the Light Blues will renegotiate a smaller sum for a player contracted to Ibrox until 2027. Rabbi Matondo The jet-heeled winger didn't come cheap when he was signed from Schalke for £3million in the summer of 2022 but he's never come close to repaying that costly figure. The former Manchester City kid was one of the club's biggest earners yet has contributed a grand total of just eight goals and less than 70 appearances during his injury-hit time in Scotland. The Wales international is currently on loan at German second-tier outfit Hannover 96. A goal on his debut looked promising for Matondo but he's failed to force his way into the picture there either, managing only two starts and eight appearances off the bench. Gers were hoping he would fire Die Roten to the Bundesliga, at which point a £1million option to buy would kick in. But that is looking increasingly unlikely with Saxony side struggling to make the promotion play-offs. As things stand, Matondo will return to Ibrox to see out the final year of his contract. Ben Davies The former Liverpool centre-back never recovered from a torrid first season in Scotland when he was part of a defence brutally exposed during Rangers' nightmare Champions League campaign. But he's fared far better after returning south to join big-spending Birmingham's League One promotion push. The Blues - bankrolled by US tycoon Tom Wagner and NFL legend Tom Brady - have cantered to the third-tier title, with Davies a key figure after forcing his way into the team last November. After 44 appearances, it's now expected that he will join the St Andrew's side on a permanent deal ahead of their return to the Championship. Kieran Dowell The former Everton and Norwich midfielder joined a growing band of players with Rangers links at Birmingham when he followed Davies and Scott Wright to the Midlands. Dowell was Michael Beale's first summer signing in 2023 yet came to be regarded as the poster boy for the recruitment failures that had left the club trapped in Celtic's shadow. But like Davies, he's fared far better with the Blues than he ever did in Glasgow after moving on loan in January. As is the case with Davies, Birmingham do not possess an option to buy but with only 12 months left on his Gers deal, it's expected he will be allowed to stay south of the border if he wishes. Leon King There were high hopes for the young centre-back when he first emerged from the Ibrox academy. But he never recovered from the torturous experience suffered during Rangers' 2022/23 Champions League campaign as the Light Blues finished with the competition's worst-ever six-game record under the old group format. King featured in all six of those painful defeats but has since then found game time hard to come by. From the outside, it looked like he was only being kept on at the club to help fill UEFA quota requirements for homegrown talent. The 21-year-old was finally allowed to head out on loan in January but he's has had another disaster operating in midfield at Queen's Park, where the Spiders lost all eight of the games he started and shipped a whopping 25 goals in the process. Expected to return to Ibrox this summer for the final year of his deal. Adam Devine Another academy kid who has failed to build on some promising early moments in a blue jersey. The versatile full-back moved to Motherwell half way through last season but made only six starts. He joined Queen's Park two months ahead of King's March switch but didn't make much more of an impressive with his dozen starts. It looks like Devine will be moving on from Rangers in the next few weeks, with his contract set to expire. Robbie Fraser The club's former B Team captain graduated to the first team last summer and got some early involvement under Philippe Clement. Having had his contract extended until the summer of 2026, he was allowed to join Livingston in January, just two days after making his Old Firm debut at the end of Gers' 3-0 home win over Celtic. It's been a valuable experience for the young full-back at Almondvale, having helped Davie Martindale's Lions push Falkirk to the final day of the season before missing out on the Championship title. He'll hope he can still play a part in a successful promotion push as Livi gear up for the play-offs. Cole McKinnon At 22, it looks like the attacking midfielder's chances of making a first-team impact at Ibrox are over. Scored on his Gers debut back in May 2022 as Gio van Bronckhorst gave the kids a chance against Hearts just days before taking his team to Seville for their Europa League Final shot at glory. McKinnon would go on to make a handful of appearances over the next two years but never came close to nailing a regular slot. He's been in and out of Scott Brown's Ayr side too since moving to Somerset Park on loan in January. With his Gers deal up this summer, it looks like he'll be on the lookout for a new club.
Scottish Sun
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Forgotten Rangers loan star could be on his way back to Ibrox amid fears knee injury has ended his season
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FORGOTTEN Rangers loan star Rabbi Matondo could be on his way back to Ibrox after suffering a knee injury in Germany. The Welsh international joined second tier German club Hannover in January and they have an option to buy the former Schalke star for a reported £1 million. 3 Rabbi Matondo's season could be over Credit: SNS 3 He scored his first goal for Wales recently Credit: Getty 3 The injury troubled player has a year left on his Gers contract Credit: SNS However, sports director, Marcus Mann, all but confirmed Matondo won't be part of their plans for next season last month, having made just two starts in Bundesliga 2 since joining. And he could be on his way back to Glasgow earlier than planned after picking up a knee injury. Hannover boss Lars Barlemann explained: "Rabbi took a knock on his knee recently and still has problems. "He has to go for a scan to see the extent of the injury and then we will see if he can play a part for the rest of the season or not." Matondo cost Rangers £3 million when he signed for them three years ago and still has a year to run on his contract. He missed a large portion of the first half of the season before making his winter loan move thanks to another injury, but not before he scored two and assisted two in a 6-0 battering of Ross County. The Welshman scored for his national team for the first time in March and netted on his Hannover debut the month before, but those are his only goal contributions this year. Meanwhile his parent club are gearing up for the post-split Old Firm derby as rivals Celtic are facing injury worries of their own. It was already known that winger Jota will be out for a while, possibly into the start of next season. Now a number more key players have been posted missing from training today with the big fixture just a couple of days away. Celebrity Wrexham owner spotted in retro Celtic strip as he asks 'are they Catholics or Protestants' Player of the Year nominated duo Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn alongside star right-back Alistair Johnston were nowhere to be seen during the session at Lennoxtown. This could mean a place in the starting XI could be in order for the veteran James Forrest after becoming the Celts' most decorated player in their history, overtaking Lisbon Lion Bobby Lennox. The 33-year-old is also desperate to score in the final few Premiership games to make it an unprecedented 16 consecutive seasons with a league goal netted. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The Herald Scotland
02-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Forgotten Rangers player could be on his way back to Ibrox
However, sports director, Marcus Mann, all but confirmed Matondo won't be part of their plans for next season last month, having made just two starts in Bundesliga 2 since joining. And he could be on his way back to Glasgow earlier than planned after picking up a knee injury. Read more: Hannover boss Lars Barlemann explained: "Rabbi took a knock on his knee recently and still has problems. "He has to go for a scan to see the extent of the injury and then we will see if he can play a part for the rest of the season or not." Matondo cost Rangers £3 million when he signed for them three years ago and still has a year to run on his contract.
The National
02-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Forgotten Rangers player could be on his way back to Ibrox
The Welsh international joined second-tier German club Hannover in January and they have an option to buy the former Schalke star for a reported £1 million. However, sports director, Marcus Mann, all but confirmed Matondo won't be part of their plans for next season last month, having made just two starts in Bundesliga 2 since joining. And he could be on his way back to Glasgow earlier than planned after picking up a knee injury. Read more: Hannover boss Lars Barlemann explained: "Rabbi took a knock on his knee recently and still has problems. "He has to go for a scan to see the extent of the injury and then we will see if he can play a part for the rest of the season or not." Matondo cost Rangers £3 million when he signed for them three years ago and still has a year to run on his contract.
The National
26-04-2025
- Sport
- The National
Forgotten Rangers winger set for summer Ibrox return
The Welsh international joined the second tier German club in January and Hannover have an option to buy the former Schalke star for a reported £1 million. But after a disastrous season for them, they have sacked manager Andre Breitenreiter and are planning a major rebuild in the summer. Read more: And the club's sports director, Marcus Mann, has all but confirmed Matondo won't be part of their plans for next season after he made just two starts in Bundesliga 2 since joining. He said: "We are, of course, extremely dissatisfied with how the last few weeks have gone. Now it's all about finishing the season properly. "We will use the players we want for next season in the remaining games. The players who are on loan and out of contract in the summer won't be involved." Matondo cost Rangers £3 million when he signed for them three years ago and still has a year to run on his contract.
