When Rangers are weighing up two similar options, one 23 and one 26, I’m not convinced there’s a clear “right” answer staring us in the face. To be fair, I’d be happy with either if they genuinely improve the squad, because that’s the real point here. But the decision can’t just be “he’s younger, so he must be better value” or “he’s got more caps, so he’s safer”. It’s messier than that.

On the wane or just in a dip?

The 26-year-old is the tricky one. On paper, you’ll often see a decent body of work, but you’ve got to look at when that work was done. If most of his caps and best numbers were stacked up earlier, and the last few seasons haven’t been as productive, then it naturally raises the question: is he flattening out, or is he simply going through a spell where things haven’t clicked?

Football careers don’t move in straight lines. A player can look “finished” in one environment then suddenly find his level again with a change of role, a different league, or a team that suits him. Rangers have seen it both ways over the years. You can get a ready-made contributor. Or you can get someone who never quite gets back to where they were.

The 23-year-old: ceiling, resale, and the Bassey hope

Then there’s the 23-year-old, and that’s a totally different sort of calculation. If he’s only really played senior football at his current club, you’re trying to judge how repeatable that form is. Is he a late developer who’s on the rise, or is he benefiting from the perfect storm of a system that suits him and a level he’s comfortable at?

It’s hard not to think about the Calvin Bassey model Rangers have already lived. A player comes in, grows arms and legs, and suddenly you’ve got an asset who can go on to bigger things. That’s the dream, and it’s why clubs chase players with upside.

Truth is, both are a risk

The bit that gets missed in fan debates is that both signings are a chance, just in different directions. With the 26-year-old, you’re asking: can he rediscover that earlier level and bring it consistently? With the 23-year-old, you’re asking: can he keep doing what he’s doing when the pressure is on, the expectations are higher, and opponents set up specifically to stop Rangers?

So for me, it’s not simply past performance versus recent figures. It’s fit, trajectory, and what Rangers actually need right now: immediate impact, or a player you back to grow into a real difference-maker.

Written by Angus1812: 13 January 2026

Tags: transfers match-review tactics