Glasgow Rangers have one foot in the play-off round of Champions League qualifiers after they hammered Viktoria Plzen 3-0 at Ibrox on Tuesday night.
Djeidi Gassama scored two goals, one on either side of a penalty from Cyriel Dessers, to take his tally to four goals in four games since his move to the Light Blues from Sheffield Wednesday.
Another new signing caught the eye, though, as central defender Nasser Djiga produced a dominant and composed performance at the heart of the defence, with our Football FanCast article explaining why he was even better than Gassama and Oliver Antman on the night.
The Wolves loanee made multiple impressive blocks and utilised his pace to mop up in behind when Plzen looked to exploit the space left by the team’s high line.
Rangers have held talks to sign new defender
Russell Martin could find a Djiga repeat to partner the right-footed colossus in defence amid an update on their pursuit of another central defender.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
According to Spanish outlet El Desmarque, as relayed by Sport Witness, Rangers would offer more than £1.7m in an attempt to sign Real Betis defender Nobel Mendy.
The report claims that they will likely offer more than Rayo Vallecano, who are also interested, but they have yet to officially submit a bid to the Spanish side, who are looking for around £3.4m.
It adds that the Light Blues have already held talks with the 20-year-old centre-back to discuss where he would fit in at Ibrox as part of Martin’s plans.
The outlet reveals that they have already convinced Mendy to make the move to Glasgow, but it is now down to the two clubs to agree a transfer fee.
Why Rangers should sign Nobel Mendy
The Gers should push to get a deal over the line for the left-footed defender because he could come in as Djiga 2.0 for the Scottish giants this summer.
Djiga only started one game and made five appearances in the Premier League in the second half of last season for Wolves, and Rangers swooped in to offer him a chance to play regular football and shine.
The 22-year-old star already seems to be grasping that opportunity with both hands, which is something that Mendy could also do at Ibrox for the Light Blues.
Mendy, 20, only played five first-team matches for Real Betis in the 2024/25 campaign, including two in LaLiga, two in the Conference League, and one in the Copa del Rey.
Minutes
90
17
Clearances
9
0
Interceptions
3
1
Ball recoveries
6
1
Dribbled past
0x
0x
Duels won
2/2
0/0
Pass accuracy
90%
75%
As you can see in the table above, the 6 foot 2 giant showed signs of promise in his two outings in the Spanish top-flight, particularly in his start against Real Madrid.
He ranked within the top 1% of defenders in the league with 3.36 interceptions per 90 and the top 3% with 5.89 ball recoveries per 90, which shows how impressive those defensive contributions were.
Whilst it is impossible to draw meaningful conclusions from that data, as he only started one game, it does show that he has the potential to deliver quality displays at the top level.
As was the case with Djiga in the Premier League with Wolves, Mendy was not given a run of games to prove himself by Real Betis in LaLiga last season. This is where Rangers can step in to offer him a chance to play week-in-week-out and develop as a player at first-team level.
Better than Gassama: Rangers have found new superhero & it's not Antman
Rangers have found their new superhero and it is not Oliver Antman or Djeidi Gassama.
1 ByDan EmeryAug 6, 2025
Therefore, the Gers could repeat their Djiga transfer by signing another physically imposing and mobile young centre-back who needs to get some games under his belt to hit his stride.
As a left-footed player, Mendy could also play alongside Djiga at the heart of the Light Blues defence and provide John Souttar with some competition for his place in the side.