‘Absolutely certain’ – Guidi says Rangers transfer for int’L who played last night now inevitable

Absolutely Certain”: Why One Journalist Believes Lewis Ferguson Will Wear the Light BluThe Bologna midfielder, back in Glasgow after Scotland’s defeat to Switzerland, has reopened a story Rangers fans thought had ended in the summer

A night after Scotland were beaten 3-0 at Hampden, the most talked-about thing in Scottish football was not the result. It was a midfielder, the club he supports, and a transfer that one of the country’s best-connected football writers believes cannot be avoided.

Mark Guidi, chief football writer at the Sunday Mail, has said he is certain that Lewis Ferguson will sign for Rangers at some point. He is less sure about when. Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show, he argued that the move now feels inevitable, whether it comes in January, next summer, or further down the road.

The timing of his comments is no coincidence. Ferguson has just spent a week with the national team in Scotland, speaking to the media, and what he said about Rangers did nothing to calm the speculation.

Ferguson was involved in Scotland’s 3-0 defeat to Switzerland on Tuesday night. It was a difficult evening for everyone in dark blue. Jack Hendry was sent off in the opening minutes after VAR ruled his foul on Dan Ndoye had taken place outside the box, and Ricardo Rodriguez’s free-kick put the visitors ahead before the game had settled. Further goals followed in the second half, and Sebastien Pocognoli’s first home match as head coach turned into a long, uphill evening.

For a midfielder, the circumstances were punishing. Playing against a team with a numerical advantage means defending for long periods, chasing the ball and working without the possession that allows a creative player to shape a game. It was hardly the night to judge anyone’s quality.

Yet the focus on Ferguson afterwards had little to do with the match itself. It had to do with what he said in the days around it, and what that suggests about where his career may be heading.

According to the report, Ferguson spoke about his “dream” of playing for Rangers and declined to rule out a move in the future. That is a very different tone from the polite non-answers footballers usually give when asked about a rival club’s interest. He did not say it would happen. He did not say it would not. He simply left the door open, and for a man who has never hidden his allegiance, that was enough to set the rumour mill spinning.

It is no secret where Ferguson’s loyalties lie. He is a Rangers supporter, and the connection runs through his family. His father Derek and his uncle Barry both played for the club. Barry Ferguson, of course, captained Rangers and is currently managing the club’s legends side at this weekend’s revived Tennent’s Sixes, which gives the family name a particularly high profile around Ibrox right now.

Ferguson himself was on the books at Rangers as a youngster but was released. That detail carries real emotional weight. A player who was let go by the club he grew up supporting, then built a career elsewhere, is a classic story. When such a player is mentioned as a possible return, supporters respond with something close to romance

The Sunday Mail writer’s case is built on three ideas: Ferguson’s own wishes, the state of things in Italy, and the practical question of how Rangers would pay for him

Guidi’s core point is that the desire exists on the player’s side. In his words, Ferguson wants it to happen and it is simply a question of when. That matters because transfers rarely succeed on one side’s enthusiasm alone, but a player who is determined to go somewhere creates momentum that clubs struggle to ignore.

A midfielder with Ferguson’s profile has options. He plays in one of Europe’s strongest leagues and is a regular for Scotland. Being open about his desire to join a club in a lower-profile league is therefore a meaningful statement. It suggests that the pull of Rangers is not a casual thing.

The second strand of Guidi’s argument is more speculative but arguably mo intriguing. Listening to Ferguson, he said, it sounds as if things at Bologna are not as smooth as they once were, and he was careful to say this applies to the club as a whole, not only to the player. He also suggested that Ferguson may have already enjoyed his best years in terms of what the club can offer him and what he can offer the club.

That is a pointed comment. It implies that a natural cycle may be coming to an end. Players do not stay in one place forever, and there often comes a moment when a move makes sense for both sides. If that moment is approaching, then the question becomes where he goes next.

It is worth treating this part with caution. Guidi is offering an interpretation of the player’s body language and public comments, not reporting something confirmed by the club or the player. But analysts and journalists who follow a player closely often pick up on tone, and that gives the observation some weight

The third and most practical strand is the financial one. Guidi was clear that the move might not be Ferguson’s next one. It could be the one after that. The reason is that Rangers, in his view, would first need to get their business model working, specifically the cycle of selling players and reinvesting the proceeds.

This is the key condition and it is where the headline’s “inevitable” needs a footnote. Guidi is certain about the destination, not the date. His argument is that for Rangers to land a player of this calibre directly from a Serie A club, they would need to be further along in generating transfer income.

To understand why the story keeps returning, it helps to remember how close it seemed in the last window. Rangers were linked with an ambitious summer move for Ferguson. Reports at the time suggested that persuading Bologna to sell would cost somewhere between £15million and £20million. That is a substantial sum for a club that had just overhauled its entire squad.

There was also an extra twist. Derek McInnes, Rangers’ head coach, was Ferguson’s manager at Aberdeen, so a reunion would have brought together a coach and a player who clearly know each other well. A manager reuniting with a midfielder he trusts is a recurring pattern in football, and the connection made the rumour feel more credible.

In the end, the deal did not materialise. Rangers could not find a way to make it work financially or practically, and the window closed.l

The club had a busy summer. After McInnes’ arrival, Rangers brought in 14 players in a wholesale rebuild. In central midfield specifically, the engine room was strengthened with the arrivals of Dan Neil, Cammy Devlin and Vanja Dragojevic. Nicolas Raskin also remained at the club despite earlier reports that he could be sold, with Roma named at one stage as the likeliest destination. McInnes had said at the time that the club expected interest in the Belgian after his impressive displays at the World Cup.

So the midfield is not short of options. That is relevant, because it frames the Ferguson question in a particular way. The argument for signing him would not be one of desperation. It would be about elevating an already competent group with a player who has proven himself at a higher level.

It is also a reminder that the best business is often done when a club is not forced to. A transfer made from a position of strength, when the budget allows and the squad is settled, tends to work better than a rushed deal.

This is where scepticism is healthy. Several things would need to line up.

The price. The summer figure of £15 million to £20 million is unlikely to have fallen. If Bologna remain unwilling to sell for less, Rangers would need to find a significant sum in the middle of the season.

The selling model. Guidi’s central condition is the sale of players to fund reinvestment. If Rangers are to bring in a major signing in January, they would likely need to move someone on first. That depends on offers arriving and on the club being willing to let valued players leave.

The player’s situation. If things at Bologna are as unsettled as Guidi suggests, Ferguson might push for a move. But he could equally sit tight, particularly if he continues to play regularly.

The competition.A player of his quality is not only of interest to Rangers. If other clubs with greater resources come in, the situation could change quickly.

None of this makes a move impossible. It simply means that “inevitable” and “imminent” are very different words.

Set the transfer mechanics aside and the footballing case is straightforward. Ibrox News described him as a proven performer in one of the strongest leagues in the world and a regular on the international scene for Scotland. In a squad that has just been rebuilt, a midfielder with that experience would offer leadership, quality on the ball and a level of consistency that is hard to find.

There is also the matter of what he represents. Rangers have spent years trying to restore a sense of identity, and a lifelong supporter from a footballing family returning to the club would carry symbolic value as well as practical benefit. Supporters tend to respond to players who clearly mean it when they pull on the shirt.

Then there is the McInnes factor. The head coach knows exactly what Ferguson can do, having worked with him at Aberdeen. In a new regime, trusted relationships matter. A manager is more likely to build a team around players whose habits and strengths he has already seen up close.

It is important not to overstate the situation. Guidi’s comments are an opinion, offered on a radio show. They are well informed and come from a respected journalist, but they are not a report that a deal is close. The headline’s phrase “absolutely certain” refers to the eventual outcome, and even there it expresses a view rather than a confirmed fact.

Transfers that look inevitable have a habit of not happening. Circumstances change. Players sign new contracts, injuries intervene, managers move on, and clubs’ priorities shift. A romantic return can feel certain right up until the moment it does not happen.

That said, the fact that so many threads point in the same direction is notable. A player who speaks openly about his dream, a family history with the club, a manager who knows him, and a reputation for quality all make for a compelling combination. The only real obstacle is the practical one of finding a way to pay for it

In the short term, nothing will change. Ferguson returns to Italy, where Bologna’s season continues, and Rangers get on with the task of competing domestically. The January window is still a few months away, and a lot can happen before then

But the conversation has been reignited, and it is likely to keep returning. Every time Ferguson is asked about Rangers, every time he plays for Scotland, and every time Bologna’s fortunes rise or fall, the question will resurface.

For Rangers supporters, the sensible approach is probably patience. If Guidi is right, the move will happen when the conditions are in place. If he is wrong, there is no harm in having a

Few stories in Scottish football carry the emotional charge of a boyhood supporter returning to the club that once let him go. Lewis Ferguson’s name has been attached to Rangers for months, and a week of national-team duty in Glasgow has given the story fresh life.

Mark Guidi’s verdict is clear: it will happen, though perhaps not as the next step. The reasoning is persuasive, resting on the player’s evident wishes, the apparent cooling of his situation in Bologna, and the long-term logic of a club that needs to find its footing in the transfer market.

The sticking point remains money. Until Rangers can show that their model of buying, developing and selling works well enough to fund a deal in the region of £15 million to £20 million, the move will remain a matter of when rather than if. Whether that “when” is January, next summer or further off, Guidi is not wavering. For a player who has made no secret of what the club means to him, that may be the most encouraging sign of all