Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin gets to have a first look at his players in the flesh this week as some of his stars have returned for pre-season testing.
The new boss will also have the opportunity to speak with some members of the Ibrox squad in person, whilst the summer transfer window is in full swing.
In fact, journalist Scott Burns claims that the Rangers head coach is due to hold talks with central defender Robin Propper over his future at Ibrox beyond this summer.
FC Twente are eyeing up a move to bring him back to the Netherlands ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, but he has returned to pre-season testing with the Gers for now.
Martin must, now, tell the Dutch defender that he is not a part of his plans for the upcoming season, because the Light Blues should be looking to part ways with him in the coming weeks.
Why Rangers must sell Robin Propper
The Gers manager should move on from the 31-year-old flop this summer after he endured a difficult first season in Scottish football after his move from FC Twente last year.
In December, the central defender was hauled off at half-time against St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership and was heavily criticised by pundit Derek Ferguson.
The former Gers man said: “Propper is struggling. He’s been pretty vocal over the last couple of weeks that he’s finding it tough in our league. He’s been asked the question early on. It’s quite worrying when you see him struggling as bad as that. Look at the body language – he’s looking for a way out already.”
Propper, who was dribbled past 11 times in 22 Premiership starts, failed to deal with the physicality of the league during his debut season, which led to him being a bit-part player by the end of the campaign.
Fenerbahce
Unused substitute
Celtic
34 mins
Dundee
Unused substitute
Hibernian
Unused substitute
Athletic Club
13 mins
Aberdeen
90 mins
St Mirren
90 mins
Aberdeen
Unused substitute
Dundee United
Unused substitute
Hibernian
80 mins
As you can see in the table above, the experienced defender was far from a regular fixture in the starting XI for the Scottish giants, as he was an unused substitute in four of his last ten outings in the matchday squad.
Given that he is unlikely to have much room left for development at the age of 31, Rangers should move on from him this summer, amid interest from Twente, and their reported pursuit of an English star could send Propper packing.
Rangers in talks to sign English star
According to the Daily Record, Rangers are in ‘advanced talks’ with Leicester City to strike a deal for former England international Conor Coady this summer.
The report claims that the Light Blues have ‘ramped’ up their efforts to bring the central defender, who previously starred for Wolverhampton Wanderers, up to Scotland for the 2025/26 season.
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It states that the Gers are ‘pushing’ to get a deal done quickly for the experienced defender, now that the club are starting to ramp up their pre-season preparations ahead of their Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos next month.
The Daily Record adds that Coady, who has one year left on his contract at the King Power, is open to a move to Ibrox this summer to secure his long-term future.
However, the report does not reveal how much money it will take to agree a deal with Leicester, or if they would be willing to waive a fee for the 32-year-old in order to shave his wages off.
Why Rangers should sign Conor Coady
Rangers should sign Coady from the Championship side, who were relegated from the Premier League this season, because he could send Propper packing this summer.
A deal to sign the former England international in the coming days or weeks would provide Martin with a vastly-experienced right-sided centre-back, which would negate any need to keep hold of Propper, who currently fills that role in the squad.
Coady, who played 22 times in the Premier League this season for the Foxes, would arrive at Ibrox as a hugely experienced player at the very top level, with 198 Premier League appearances and ten caps for England under his belt.
He is, therefore, used to the physicality of British football and can deal with the brute strength and dynamism of attackers in Scotland next season, whereas, Propper had never played domestic football outside of the Netherlands and looked ill-prepared for the task at hand.
Appearances
24
12
22
Pass accuracy
85%
93%
91%
Dribbled past per game
0.3x
0.1x
0.1x
Duel success rate
54%
64%
45%
Error led to goal
1
0
1
As you can see in the table above, Coady has largely been reliable as a physical presence in England in recent seasons, particularly when it came to stopping attackers from dribbling past him.
As aforementioned, one of Propper’s biggest problems in the Premiership was that strikers found it too easy to get the better of him, as he was dribbled past 11 times in 22 starts. That would not be a problem for the English titan, who has been dribbled past three times in his last 34 league outings.
The Leicester ace also showcased his quality in possession in the Championship in the 2023/24 season, ranking in the top 1% of his positional peers for progressive passes per 90 (7.20). This suggests that he would also add value in possession as part of a team that dominates the ball and looks to play forward.
Coady, who was described as an “infectious” character by Gareth Southgate, may be approaching the latter stages of his career, at the age of 32, but he appears to have the requisite qualities to take Propper’s place and send him packing back to FC Twente.
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