6 Rangers transfer options scouted as Scandinavia targeting can upset 'footballing food chain'

Rangers luckily find themselves with a decent amount of the latter and have used it effectively for as long as “Rangers” the brand has been a thing. For all its beauty and order, Scandinavia remains misplaced within this aforementioned football food chain; it may be down to the weird structure and orientation or the language barrier. Yet, most teams still ignore and refuse to explore the bitingly cold yet fertile ground up north. Rubin Kazan in Russia’s Premier League has reaped the rewards of Scandinavian-focused recruitment, with players like Andres Dreyer, Oliver Abdilgaard and Sead Haksabanovic all lighting it up in Tatarstan. Rangers could take inspiration from “Rubinovye’s” recent acquisitions and the healthy profits they have and will continue to recoup. As such, let’s have a look at two players from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway who, in my humble opinion, are avenues worth exploring.

Norway

Johan Hove, Stromgodset

Despite appearing well-stocked on the surface level, the engine room is an area in which Rangers could do with reinforcing given the contractual situation of Davis, Aribo, and Arfield, as well as Jack's recurring injury problems. Many would champion some in-house promotions to cover spots, with Kelly, McCann, and Lowry all within their right to expect some first-team minutes; however, a position of such importance requires all options to be exhausted. Under Van Bronckhorst, Rangers have set up in systems that utilise a double pivot and three CMs most often in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3; as such, it's paramount that any recruitment in the centre of the park concerns a player who can excel in any role in either system. There is perhaps no one as exciting who fulfils the named criteria in Scandinavia than Stromgodset's Johan Hove. Given his box-to-box qualities, the Norwegian has been compared to Aaron Ramsey and Mason Mount. It has been linked with a move to the duo's backyard, like Everton, Southampton, and Man Utd were linked in the Summer of 2020. For the most part, Hove plays on the right of a double pivot, as seen in the graphic below. He can also deputise as a 10 or as a right-sided mezzala in a 3.

Hove mixes a wide array of skills together, forming a well-balanced game that focuses on operating between the lines, third-man runs, high-energy of the ball, and a healthy stream of goals and assists. Beginning with his contribution out of possession, Hove's abundance of energy makes him effective in Stromgodset's high-press. Hove has a knack for cutting off passing lanes and intercepting passes, an essential facet for any midfielder's game. He also is a good tackler, a skill that not every centre-mid necessarily has in their bag. However, he is often a little overeager, which is expected given his high energy and enthusiasm off the ball. Despite standing at a fairly average 5'8, Hove plays with a strength and resolution associated with those much taller and larger.

Furthermore, Hove is physically impressive despite his height, combining great acceleration, agility, and upper body strength to form a formidable proposition for defenders. A recurring theme in much of Rangers recruitment is ambidexterity; However, he may not be the same as Kent or Hagi; Hove is more than capable with both feet. The graphic below explicitly shows Hove's contribution to the attack. This is largely due to his ability to find or manufacture space within areas of the pitch he shouldn't. His tendency to play between the lines and the consistent third man runs is crucial in this respect. Despite these already impressive numbers, Hove needs to improve his final ball. His lack of consistency in this respect leaves a few goals and assists on the table per season, albeit he makes up for it for the most part with the rest of his game.

Ola Solbakken, Bodo/Glimt

Rightfully, Bodo/Glimt has been the story in Scandinavian football over the past few years, maybe even decades. Stars such as Kasper Junker, Philip Zinckernagel, and Fredrik Bjorkan have already moved south to pastures new, and despite this, they have managed to retain the standards set over the past 18 months. The next two who are set to cash in are likely Patrick Berg and Ola Solbakken, with the former likely already out of our reach with a move to a top-five league almost a certainty. Despite not being at the same juncture in his career as Berg, Solbakken would provide similarly good business if we could convince him to swap the Arctic Circle for the West of Scotland. The 23-year-old winger much like Ryan Kent can play on either wing, as seen in the graphic below, but due to his stronger foot being his left, he is better suited to the right-wing where he can cut in and make full use of that stronger foot, which he does so often.

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Like so many left-footed right-wingers, his signature move is an equally stylish and effective cut in and strike. One of Solbakken's slights is that he is far from consistent enough in front of goa,l mustering an about league average non-penalty goal per90 as seen in the graphic below. For whatever reason, he seems more comfortable scoring those he shouldn't than those he should. An area in which little criticism can be directed is his ability to dribble the ball. Solbakken loves both ball rolls and stepovers. His use of both is stylish and substantive and often a precursor to those signature strikes. His dynamism on the ball is similar to Kent's and would help us provide some symmetrical threat, which we haven't been able to do in the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. The pink slices below paint a conflicting picture when it comes to chance creation and his passing ability. Solbakken creates an above-average number of shot assists and xA p90 despite doing it on below-average passes p90 and pass accuracy, which is a sign of an inconsistent yet effective creator. His passing accuracy is so low is acceptable given the nature of wingers and how ambition is a requirement to be effective. Solbakken managed this output for Norway's best side and possession-based one at that. Consider this he likely wouldn't receive the efficacy inflation most do when moving to Rangers. He would be trading one champion for another. Finally, the area which bodes the least well between Solbakken and Rangers is his almost non-existent defensive output. The blue slices below pale in comparison to the rest, which is generally not a good sign; however, the trade-off between effectiveness in possession vs lethargy out of it needs to be made. Solbakken has recently been linked with Trabzonspor and Galatasaray, suggesting that fellow big European clubs are swarming. Rangers likely need someone at right-wing soon, and Solbakken would be a good option, albeit not without his imperfections.

Denmark

Mads Frøkjær, Odense BK

It's been inevitable for as long as Joe Aribo has donned the Blue of Rangers that he will eventually move on for a sizable fee. During his first two seasons, we saw him flirt with the idea of being the club's talisman. However, he has confirmed this suspicion this year, being Rangers' and, by extension, the league's best player this season. It now appears a matter of January or June for Aribo and the highest bidder, so replacing him is of the utmost importance. Getting a player of comparable quality is impossible, so to me, the best strategy is getting someone who can do 75/80% of what Aribo can. Still, there are few better options in line with this criterion for a shrewd fee than Odense's 22-year-old Mads Frøkjær. The comparisons to the Nigerian are immediate upon first viewing, the low-hanging socks hiding small shin–pads, slender limbs that maintain a touch-tight relationship to the ball, the deceivingly solid yet lanky frame. Frøkjær, like Aribo, can play across the midfield, though is far more familiar with the left-side of midfield and the left-wing as seen in the graphic below, as opposed to Aribo's preference of the right.

The similarities to Aribo are not limited to slender limbs and their on-pitch fashion but extend heavily to their playing style and efficacy. Frøkjær’s game is based on an impressive passing range, fantastic close control, effective adventurous dribbling, and a steady stream of goals and assists. His lack of genuine pace means that his future is likely an 8 in a midfield or a 10, much like the previously profiled Johan Hove. He is surprisingly stable and effective with his back to goal, operating like a slim stretch-4 in the post in a Basketball context. His end product is somewhat inconsistent, more so his finishing than the final ball. Yet, as seen in the graphic below, he still produces at an impressive rate. Despite the overwhelmingly encouraging nature of his game, Frøkjær is notorious for being hot-headed, which proved to be a problem during his youth career. His attitude has mellowed out somewhat, but he still remains a liability to an extent. Regardless, the risk-reward dynamic firmly presents a case in favour of Frøkjær as his hot-headed nature, and relative inconsistency is outweighed by his evident qualities and the relatively small fee likely needed to secure his services.

Pedro Ferreira, Aalborg BK

It's said that: "It's better to do one thing well than ten things poorly". And this continues to be accurate within a footballing context. I am sure that several players come to mind; one that epitomises the saying, who is likely not on the tip of your tongue, is Aalborg's Portuguese defensive midfielder, Pedro Ferreira. Ferreira, just 23, is a Sporting Academy product who ended up in Portuguese via a successful stint with Varzim in the Portuguese Second Division. As the graphic below suggests, Fereira is an orthodox defensive midfielder for the most part. However, he can also play as the more risk-averse member of a double pivot which he often does in Aalborgs' 3-4-3 or three in the centre of midfield.

Fereira profiles and plays differently to anyone in the current Rangers squad. However, his closest comparison would likely be a Lundstram/Kamara hybrid. His fantastic engine allows him to go around breaking up play, cutting off passing lanes and generally being a nuisance for the 90, as evidenced by his impressive defensive stats in the graphic below. On the ball, the best way to describe him is risk-averse. This doesn't mean he lacks technical acumen or is scared of failing but instead knows his game well and defers to better-placed teammates often. This is seen in the graphic below where his relatively high passes p90 and accuracy but minimal creative numbers, not least his very low xA p90 and smart passes p90. Fereira does need to improve his efficiency on the ball if he wants to transform his game and play at the highest levels; however, if he fails to evolve to that extent, he remains a valuable tool that every system needs, not least Rangers. He has been linked with Bordeaux and Celta Vigo in the last 12 months, suggesting he must be doing something right. The reported asking price is around £1.7m. His skills and age appear to be a shrewd piece of business for someone who could potentially stroll around the bottom of the diamond for five-plus years.

Sweden

Tashreeq Matthews, Varberg BOIS

The best recruitment is often not signing a player you are interested in, but rather the player that a competent team would replace that same player with. A player I have equally admired and wanted at Ibrox has been Ferencvaros's Tokmac Nguen. The Norwegian winger is equally tricky and devastating but is closing in on 30 and may not be the most financially literate move possible. Considering this, a player who is a mirror-image of the Ferencavros man is South-African winger Tashreeq Matthews. The former Dortmund youth has come off a fantastic campaign in Sweden. At just 21, he's done all the right things to convince me he will far surpass Nguen's stellar career and that Rangers should offer him a pit-stop.

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Matthews, like Nguen, plays all across the frontline, albeit is best on the left-wing, where his tricky right foot is most effective. As you would expect from someone of his youth, Matthews is an enthusiastic presser and influential out of possession, despite his slight and lanky frame. Despite playing for a mediocre Varberg side, his output in the 2021 season was mightly impressive, evidenced by the bee-swarm plots below. He maintained an above league average for all metrics besides xG, which just about straddles the 50% percentile. His playstyle is precisely what you would expect from someone who rocks socks that barely cover kids-sized shin pads: plenty of flair, agility, and skill. He often lacks a bit of end product, most specifically when finishing the ball. However, that will hopefully come in time. Beyond his finishing, the most significant concern is his aforementioned slender frame and the resulting target on his small back. On the other hand, this may help him draw fouls which he is already excellent at. The best comparison I can give regarding someone already at Rangers is that he reminds me of a pacey Ianis Hagi, albeit without the extensive passing range. Regardless, his age, reportedly low fee, and upside point in the direction of this being a potentially intelligent acquisition, and who wouldn't love a second South African invasion of Rangers Twitter.

Hjalmar Ekdal, Djurgarden

The name Kris Ajer likely doesn't sit well with many of you for a series of reasons. His insistent celebrations after mundane defensive actions, his boastful nature, or perhaps his overinflated reputation; however, there is no denying that he rewarded Celtic with some handsome profit. Though far from a perfect comparison, there are evident shades of Ajer in Djurgarden's Hjalmar Ekdal. Ekdal spent his late teenage years playing College Football in the US concerns-related to his ability to communicate in high-pressure situations should be zero, albeit most Scandinavians put us to shame and are at least bi/trilingual. You may recognise the surname even if you don't have a vested interest in the Allsvenskan, as Hjalmar's brother Albin Ekdal has played in Serie A for the past 13 years, often featuring in front of Filip Helander in Sweden's midfield.

Ekdal is very comfortable on the ball, both in carrying and passing capacities, albeit once those passes extend to a certain range, his distribution gets a bit spotty. He is also comfortable with both feet, an invaluable commodity for a centre-back, allowing him to exploit the natural angles of both a left and right centre-back. Suppose you look to both the movement and attacking metrics in the graphic below. In that case, it paints a clear picture of a CB who is overtly progressive and forward-thinking, a necessity for at least one of Rangers two centre-backs. His dribbling is similar to Ajer's; once he develops a head of steam, he is surprisingly agile and quick, proving difficult to stop. Sadly he shares one glaring weakness with Ajer, his ability in the air is spotty at best, and he is often overpowered by classical target men, a role that is undoubtedly more common in Scotland than anywhere else. Despite this, paradoxically, he is a threat in the opposition's penalty box, evidenced by his 0.10 xG per90, which sits in the 88th percentile for Allsvenksan centre-backs. Ekdal was recently crowned as the Allsvenskan's defender of the year despite facing stiff competition from Malmo's wunderkind Anel Ahmedhodzic who cruised through both ties against Rangers. Ekdal is likely a better partner to Bassey or Goldson than Helander as he prefers a more cat-like approach defending instead of the dog-like qualities of the aforementioned pair. However, I would back him to pair well with all at Ibrox. The fee to secure Ekdal's services is likely to be sizeable; though, you are likely guaranteeing a consistent presence at the heart of the defence for as long as he wants to stay in Scotland, a decent proposition.