Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin is set to bring a new style of play to Ibrox when his team takes to the field for the start of the 2025/26 campaign.
The former Scotland international plays a ball-dominant style that will see the Gers look to dominate possession and break teams down next term.
In order to build a squad that is suited to the way that the former Southampton manager wants to play, though, there will be players who have to move on in order to make way for new recruits.
One player who looks set to be on his way out of Ibrox is centre-back Robin Propper, as it was recently reported in his home country that he has agreed a deal to return to FC Twente on a three-year contract.
The Rangers Review also recently claimed that the Dutch giant is ‘expected’ to leave the club, amid interest in Leicester City central defender Conor Coady, who could come in as his replacement.
Why selling Robin Propper is a good move by Rangers
This proposed move back to FC Twente is a good move by Rangers and a good move for the defender because he did not settle in well at Ibrox on the pitch.
Propper did not do enough in his performances to show that he was ready for the physicality of the Scottish Premiership, which was a clear problem early on in his career in Glasgow.
In December 2024, the centre-back lost 100% (2/2) of his duels and was substituted at half-time against St. Johnstone, which led to him being criticised by former Gers midfielder Derek Ferguson.
The BBC Sportsound pundit said: “Propper is struggling. He’s been pretty vocal over the last couple of weeks that he’s finding it tough in our league. He’s been asked the question early on. It’s quite worrying when you see him struggling as bad as that. Look at the body language – he’s looking for a way out already.”
Appearances
10
Clean sheets
1
Tackles + interceptions per game
1.8
Dribbled past
4x
Ground duel success rate
45%
Aerial duel success rate
44%
As you can see in the table above, the 31-year-old centre-back also struggled with the physicality of European football in the Europa League, as he lost the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air.
These statistics and the criticism of his play in the Premiership illustrate exactly why the decision to allow him to move back to the Netherlands is a good one for all parties involved.
Propper may not be the only first-team player to move on from Ibrox before the Martin era officially gets underway on the pitch, though, as another dud is attracting interest from elsewhere.
Five teams eyeing deal for Rangers forward
According to the Daily Record, a number of teams are showing an interest in Rangers winger Ross McCausland during the summer transfer window.
The report claims that FC Cincinnati, Plymouth Argyle, Cardiff City, Basel, and OH Leuven are all eyeing up a potential swoop for the Northern Ireland international.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
It states that they are all keeping tabs on his situation at Ibrox heading into the summer, which shows that there is plenty of interest from clubs across the globe and in the UK.
The Daily Record adds that McCausland is keen to remain at Rangers and would like to be a part of Martin’s project, but that the Scottish head coach could be willing to listen to offers for the academy graduate.
It reveals that the former Norwich City centre-back is still assessing the squad and that no final decisions have been made either, which means that the attacker’s future is still up in the air.
However, Rangers must take advantage of the level of interest in McCauland, with five teams eyeing him up, and cash in on him this summer.
Why selling McCausland is as important as Propper
As aforementioned, it is a good call to sell Propper because he did not deliver on the pitch and the Light Blues need more strength and quality in that area of the park to be successful under Martin next season.
Since making the breakthrough as a first-team regular under Philippe Clement in 2023, McCausland has failed to prove that he is good enough to be a key player for the Scottish giants moving forward.
The 21-year-old attacker has shown some promise at times, including scoring his first goal for the club in the Europa League in the clip above, but has not delivered consistently enough in the final third.
To date, McCausland has scored three goals and provided six assists in 44 appearances in the Premiership, and racked up seven goals and seven assists in 66 games in all competitions for the first-team.
Appearances
13
Starts
4
Goals
0
Big chances created
0
Key passes per game
0.6
Assists
1
Red cards
1
As you can see in the table above, the Northern Irish dud ended the 2024/25 campaign without a single goal to show for his efforts in the league, whilst he had as many red cards as goal contributions.
McCausland was once described as an “explosive” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, but he has failed to kick on since exploding onto the first-team scene at Ibrox. The winger has gone from an exciting young talent to just another one of the players, like Propper, who needs to be replaced.
Put simply, the Gers academy graduate does not offer enough in front of goal to be a key attacking figure for Martin moving forward, as shown by his lack of end product in the Premiership in particular, which is why it is as important to sell him as it is to sell Propper.
This could provide the new Rangers manager with a chance to replace him with another winger in the summer transfer window, with the hope that any new recruit could come in to offer more goals and assists to win vital points for the team moving forward.
The new Lundstram: Martin wants to make £18m star his first Rangers signing
As Russell Martin starts his overhaul of Rangers’ squad, could he sign a “class” midfielder in a deal reminiscent of John Lundstram’s move to Ibrox?
ByBen Gray
It is now down to Kevin Thelwell and Martin, though, to field offers and work with the interested parties to find the best solution for all parties involved.