Glasgow Rangers’ domestic season is all but over. Defeat in the League Cup final to Celtic ended their defence of the trophy, while the Ibrox side suffered an embarrassing loss to Queen’s Park in the Scottish Cup a few weeks ago.
Now, all of Philippe Clement’s eggs will be placed in the Europa League basket as the club were drawn to play Fenerbahce in the last-16 of the competition.
It won’t be an easy task, especially away from home, but if the Light Blues play like they have done on the continent this season, they have an excellent chance of going through.
Much will depend on whether they turn up or not, however, as performances have been shaky, to say the least.
There have been very few bright sparks throughout the season. Hamza Igamane has been one, but even he has struggled since last scoring against Aberdeen on January 15.
Perhaps things might have been different if Danilo and Nedim Bajrami had both been playing to the best of their abilities, as the pair have qualities that can change games in an instant.
It hasn’t been plain sailing for either due to several reasons.
Danilo & Bajrami’s struggles for Rangers this season
In Danilo’s case, injuries have largely been his downfall. Since joining the Gers in the summer of 2023, the Brazilian has missed a total of 58 matches for the club due to several injuries, including a broken cheekbone and a serious knee injury.
When he has featured this term, the centre-forward has been solid in the final third. Across 19 games, he has scored seven goals and chipped in with three assists.
His goal against Celtic in the festive Old Firm tie looked as though it could be the catalyst for Danilo to emerge as a key player under Clement. A few weeks later, he sustained a shoulder injury that once again kept him out for a few weeks.
In Bajrami’s case, injuries haven’t been a problem at all, but he has failed to live up to the £3.4m fee that the club paid to secure his services last summer.
On the surface, it appeared to be a solid signing. Not only could Bajrami play across multiple positions, but he had experience of playing in Serie A, while scoring for Albania against Italy at Euro 2024.
A goal against Malmo on his first European start was certainly a confidence boost, and he shone on the continent for the Gers.
Since the start of 2025, however, the former Sassuolo midfielder has recorded just three assists in all competitions, with two coming against non-league side Fraserburgh in the Scottish Cup.
He has scored just one Premiership goal since arriving in Scotland while registering just one assist and averaging 1.2 key passes per game.
Hardly the sort of numbers that justify the transfer fee and if he doesn’t improve between now and May, Clement may look to offload the Albanian when the summer transfer window opens.
Rangers have sold their fair share of players over the years who appear to suddenly shine once they leave Ibrox. One such player is currently starring in the Championship with Sheffield Wednesday this season – Josh Windass.
Josh Windass’ Rangers statistics
Windass joined the Light Blues ahead of the 2016/17 season, the club’s first back in the top flight since their financial troubles began in 2012.
Mark Warburton was trying to build a team capable of challenging Celtic for the title, but this proved to be a false dawn. The Englishman suffered a succession of injury problems during his maiden campaign, restricting him to just 27 appearances and a solitary goal.
The following year was far better for Windass. Not only did he establish himself as a key member of the starting XI, but the attacking midfielder also netted 18 goals and grabbed eight assists in all competitions throughout the campaign.
It didn’t do the team much good as they failed to win any silverware for the second season in a row since their promotion. In May 2018, Steven Gerrard took over as manager, and it resulted in a fresh start for everyone at the club.
For Windass, it was clear the former Liverpool captain didn’t take to him. During the final few weeks of the summer transfer window in 2018, Windass finally left Ibrox and joined Wigan Athletic for a transfer fee in the region of £2.5m.
This represented a solid piece of transfer business for the Gers, especially as they required funds to bolster the squad.
He only lasted a year and a half at Wigan, with his spell at the Owls being far more productive indeed…
Windass’ record at Sheffield Wednesday
Across 170 matches for the Championship club, Windass has scored 50 goals while registering 21 assists in all competitions.
The 2024/25 campaign has been especially positive for the 31-year-old. Not only does he have ten league goals this term, more than Bajrami and Danilo put together, but he has even recorded three assists.
|
Josh Windass’ stats since leaving Rangers |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2024/25 |
35 |
10 |
4 |
|
2023/24 |
28 |
7 |
2 |
|
2022/23 |
42 |
16 |
7 |
|
2021/22 |
12 |
4 |
2 |
|
2020/21 |
44 |
10 |
6 |
|
2019/20 |
25 |
7 |
0 |
|
2018/20 |
45 |
5 |
4 |
Windass has also created four big chances in the second tier for the Owls while averaging 0.6 key passes and registering 2.4 shots per game.
It appears as though the Championship is certainly his level, as he failed to truly demonstrate his best during his two-year spell in Scotland.
The Englishman was right to leave in 2018, especially considering the fee was so good for a player who wasn’t going to be in Gerrard’s plans.
The fact he has scored more league goals than Danilo and Bajrami, however, proves that the club have sold so many players over the previous few years who seem to find that extra gear at a new club.
For both Danilo and Bajrami, the next few weeks could be important indeed. That’s for sure.
Related
49ers could seal a dream first Rangers signing in £4m SPFL starlet
Rangers could be set to undergo a takeover from the 49ers this summer.
