Rangers Ramp Up Pursuit Of Fares Ghedjemis After Algerian Winger’s Stunning 15-Goal Campaign In Italy

Rangers’ relentless search for attacking reinforcements has taken an intriguing new turn, with the Ibrox club now understood to be pushing hard to land Frosinone winger Fares Ghedjemis after a breakout season in Italy that saw him fire his side to promotion almost single-handedly at times. Derek McInnes has made no secret of his desire to strengthen out wide this summer, and with the club already having been credited with interest in several different targets over the course of the last week or so, the emergence of Ghedjemis as a genuine target represents the latest twist in what has become an increasingly busy period of transfer activity at Ibrox.

It has already been widely reported that talks over a potential deal for Brighton’s Amario Cozier-Duberry were underway, while speculation regarding a sensational return to Glasgow for former loan hero Vaclav Cerny has similarly refused to go away in recent days. Against that backdrop, McInnes has been open in stating that his side are actively searching for what he has described as a genuine difference maker, someone capable of adding a fresh spark and dynamism to a Rangers attack that has, at various points over the last twelve months, looked short on invention and cutting edge out wide. The growing links to Ghedjemis suggest that the Algerian international could be precisely the type of player the Scottish manager has in mind when discussing that kind of impact signing.

While Ghedjemis may not yet be a household name across British football, there are plenty of compelling reasons why Rangers appear to have identified him as a serious option this summer, and the story behind his rise over the past year makes for a fascinating subplot to what is already shaping up to be one of the more eventful transfer windows in recent Ibrox history.

Rangers show no signs of slowing down in the market as they continue their pursuit of further additions to bolster Derek McInnes’s squad ahead of the new campaign. According to reporting from Sky Sports journalist Luca Bendoni, the Ibrox club are now actively pushing to secure a deal for Ghedjemis, with the Algerian forward having established himself as one of the standout performers in Italian football’s second tier last season. Ghedjemis, a goal-scoring winger by trade, managed an extraordinary return of 15 goals for Frosinone in Serie B last term, a tally that played no small part in helping the Italian outfit secure promotion back to the top flight of Italian football.

That kind of individual output at such a competitive level did not go unnoticed either domestically or on the international stage, with Ghedjemis’s efforts also earning him a call-up to Algeria’s World Cup squad this past summer, a remarkable achievement for a player who, prior to that, had accumulated just a handful of senior international appearances. While his actual involvement in the tournament itself amounted to only a single minute of action across the entirety of Algeria’s campaign in North America, simply being included in a World Cup squad represents a significant milestone in any young player’s career, and it speaks volumes about how highly his performances in Serie B were regarded that national team recognition followed so soon after his breakout campaign in Italy. Ghedjemis now has two senior caps to his name for his country, with the expectation being that further international recognition will follow should his upward trajectory continue at whichever club he ends up playing for next.

From a Rangers perspective, the timing of this potential move makes a good deal of sense given recent developments within McInnes’s squad. The departure of Oliver Antman, who has already completed a move away from Ibrox, has opened up a clear vacancy out wide, one that the Scottish manager will be eager to fill with a player capable of making an immediate and meaningful impact. With Rangers’s sights firmly set on reclaiming the Scottish Premiership title after what was, by the club’s own lofty standards, a disappointing conclusion to last season, there is an obvious appetite within G51 to bring in attacking talent that can genuinely move the needle rather than simply adding to squad depth for its own sake. Ghedjemis, on the back of his exploits in Italy, appears to fit that profile rather neatly, and it is easy to see why Rangers have identified him as a potential long-term solution to the winger problem that has persisted at the club for some time now.

Adding a further layer of intrigue to this developing transfer saga is the fact that Ghedjemis was previously the subject of considerable interest from Rangers’s fiercest domestic rivals. Back in January, reports emerged that Celtic had been heavily linked with a move for the Algerian, and that interest reportedly progressed a good deal further than mere speculation. According to reporting from the Daily Record, Celtic had actually gone as far as agreeing a fee with Frosinone for Ghedjemis’s signature during the January transfer window, with the two clubs settling on a figure in the region of £6 million for the winger’s services. Remarkably, though, having already agreed personal terms and seen a fee accepted between the two clubs, Ghedjemis ultimately chose to remain in Italy rather than complete a move to Glasgow’s east end, opting instead to continue his fight to help Frosinone secure promotion to Serie A.

As it turned out, that decision to stay proved to be entirely vindicated on a footballing level, with Frosinone going on to achieve exactly the outcome Ghedjemis had prioritised by earning their place back in Italy’s top flight come the end of the season. Having turned down a lucrative move to Celtic in order to help deliver that achievement for his club, there is now a rather compelling narrative developing whereby it could instead be Rangers who ultimately benefit from his decision to knock back interest from Parkhead just months earlier. Should a move to Ibrox eventually be completed, there would be an obvious and instant appeal to Rangers supporters in signing a player who had previously turned down their fiercest rivals, a detail that could easily see Ghedjemis afforded something close to cult hero status inside Ibrox from the very moment his arrival is confirmed, regardless of how he actually performs once he pulls on the shirt for the first time.

In terms of the finances that could be required to get a deal for Ghedjemis over the line, it appears entirely plausible that Rangers may end up having to match, or come close to matching, the £6 million valuation that was previously agreed upon between Frosinone and Celtic back in January. Given that the winger has since gone on to enjoy an even more productive campaign, culminating in Frosinone’s promotion and his own subsequent call-up to Algeria’s World Cup squad, there would be little surprise if Frosinone’s valuation of the player has, if anything, increased slightly since that figure was first agreed six months ago, particularly with the Italian club now preparing for life back in Serie A and under no great financial pressure to sell one of their prized assets on the cheap.

For Rangers, the calculation here is likely to centre on whether investing a fee in that region represents good value for a player who, while still relatively unproven at the very highest level of European football, has demonstrated exactly the kind of goal-scoring instincts from a wide position that McInnes’s side have often lacked in recent seasons. Fifteen goals in a single Serie B campaign is a considerable return for any winger, let alone one operating in a league renowned for its defensive solidity and tactical discipline, and it suggests a player who possesses genuine end product to accompany whatever natural ability and flair he brings to the position. For a Rangers side that has, at various stages over the past couple of seasons, been accused of lacking a cutting edge from wide areas, the appeal of bringing in someone with such a proven scoring record from the flanks is not difficult to understand.

There is also the broader context of Rangers’s summer business to consider here, with the club having already been extremely active in reshaping their squad ahead of the new campaign. Signings have already arrived across various positions as McInnes looks to build a squad capable of competing on both domestic and European fronts, and the pursuit of Ghedjemis would represent a continuation of that same aggressive approach in the transfer market, this time specifically targeting a wide forward with a track record of directly contributing to goals rather than simply offering pace or trickery without end product to match. Given how competitive the race for the Scottish Premiership title is likely to be once again this season, and with continental football also on the agenda, having strength in depth and genuine quality across the front line is likely to prove essential if Rangers are to mount a serious challenge on multiple fronts simultaneously.

It remains to be seen exactly how quickly this potential deal for Ghedjemis might progress, or indeed whether Frosinone will prove any more willing to sanction his departure this time around than they were back in January, when they ultimately kept hold of him despite Celtic’s agreed fee. Having already lost the winger’s services once before, only for the player himself to opt to stay and help the club secure promotion, Frosinone may well take a firmer stance on any future offers, particularly given that Ghedjemis now finds himself as a proven performer at Serie A level rather than merely a promising prospect plying his trade in Serie B. Equally, though, having already shown a willingness to sell for around £6 million back in January, there is at least a template already in place for what kind of fee might be required to prise the Algerian away from Italy this time around, assuming Rangers are prepared to match or improve upon that previous valuation.

For Ghedjemis himself, a move to Rangers would represent a significant step up in terms of profile, offering him the chance to test himself in a completely different footballing environment, one characterised by the intensity of Old Firm derbies, regular European football, and the weight of expectation that comes with representing one of Scottish football’s two dominant institutions. Having already experienced life on the international stage with Algeria, albeit briefly, and having proven himself capable of performing under pressure during Frosinone’s promotion push, there is a reasonable argument to be made that Ghedjemis possesses the temperament required to handle the step up to a higher-profile club environment such as the one he would encounter at Ibrox.

From a Rangers perspective, meanwhile, the appeal of signing a player who once rejected Celtic in favour of staying in Italy is not something that should be underestimated in terms of how quickly he might be able to win over the Ibrox faithful. Football fandom often responds strongly to narratives of this nature, and a player who effectively snubbed the club’s fiercest rivals, whether by design or simply through circumstance, arriving at Ibrox instead would likely be greeted with considerable warmth and goodwill from supporters even before a ball has been kicked in a Rangers shirt. Should Ghedjemis go on to deliver anywhere close to the kind of output he managed during his stellar campaign in Serie B, that goodwill could very quickly translate into genuine affection from the Ibrox faithful, elevating him to a status that few new signings typically enjoy in their opening weeks at a new club.

Ultimately, though, all of this remains speculative until any formal agreement is reached between the two clubs, and Rangers will be conscious of the need to move swiftly given how competitive interest in in-form wide players tends to be across European football during the closing stages of the summer transfer window. With McInnes having made his intentions clear regarding the type of difference-making signing he wants to bring into his squad, and with Ghedjemis’s stock continuing to rise following his exploits in Italy and his subsequent World Cup involvement with Algeria, it would be no great surprise to see this particular pursuit intensify significantly over the coming days and weeks as Rangers look to secure their next piece of business before the window eventually shuts.

Should the move ultimately be completed, Rangers would be adding not just a proven goal threat from wide areas, but also a player with an intriguing backstory that ties neatly into the club’s ongoing rivalry with Celtic, given the previously agreed deal that fell through back in January. For a Rangers support that has watched their side toil at times for genuine attacking spark out wide over the past year or so, the prospect of landing a player with Ghedjemis’s kind of proven end product, allied to the added subplot of him having previously spurned interest from Parkhead, makes this one of the more compelling transfer stories to emerge from Ibrox in what has already been an eventful summer of change under Derek McInnes.