Rangers Let Ferguson Deal Drift as Celtic's Transfer Strategy Sparks Debate

Lewis Ferguson was ready. Rangers, it seems, were not.

Scotland midfielder Ferguson had agreed to join the Ibrox club this summer, according to his father Derek, but the move never even reached Bologna’s door. No bid. No formal approach. No late scramble. Just a deal that stalled before it started.

Derek Ferguson says his son, now 27 and established in Serie A, cannot see the transfer being revived in January either. For Rangers fans who had imagined a marquee Scottish signing driving their midfield, that feels like a major opportunity allowed to slip quietly away.

Raskin stays put after Besiktas fall short

Nicolas Raskin’s future looked far less certain earlier in the window. Rangers had a price in mind – around £20m – and Besiktas came calling. They walked away instead.

The Turkish club failed to meet the figure Rangers were bargaining on for the 25-year-old Belgian, leaving Raskin still in Glasgow and facing a different kind of challenge.

Now, says manager Derek McInnes, the midfielder has one clear task: play well enough over the next few months to earn the big-money move he clearly craves in January. The spotlight is on his performances, not his price tag.

Souttar clarity coming after move collapses

John Souttar is another Rangers defender whose future hung in the air as the window ticked down. A transfer away from Ibrox for the 29-year-old Scotland centre-half failed to materialise, leaving questions over his role and next step.

McInnes has promised to reveal more about Souttar’s situation early next week. For a player who has battled injuries and inconsistency, the direction of travel from here will matter every bit as much as the deal that never came.

Celtic’s offers, questions and praise

Across the city, Celtic’s market work has sparked both admiration and confusion.

The Scottish champions were prepared to pay around £9m for Gvidas Gineitis, but Torino pushed back hard. The Italian club value the 22-year-old Lithuania international closer to £13m, and head coach Ignacio Abate is delighted to have kept hold of his midfielder.

Celtic did get cover in at left-back, but the choice has raised eyebrows. Former striker Chris Sutton admits he is baffled by the decision to bring in 18-year-old Landon Emenalo on loan from Chelsea as cover for Kieran Tierney.

Emenalo has yet to play for Chelsea’s first team, and Sutton questions why Celtic overlooked more established options in the Scottish and European market, namechecking Dundee United’s Will Ferry, Motherwell’s Emmanuel Longelo and PAOK’s Greg Taylor as alternatives who might have offered a more immediate impact.

Strachan, though, sees the bigger picture rather differently. The former Celtic manager has described the club’s recruitment as “phenomenal” despite criticism aimed at the board’s transfer strategy. For him, the volume of noise around individual deals masks a window he believes has significantly strengthened the champions.

Evans on the radar

Away from Glasgow, one Scot is attracting attention on the touchline rather than the pitch.

Steve Evans, the 63-year-old currently in charge of Bristol Rovers, is being monitored by both Hibernian and Preston North End as a potential option should either club decide to make a managerial change.

As the dust settles on the summer window, Rangers are left to explain a Ferguson move that never was, Celtic juggle praise and scrutiny over their business, and clubs across the leagues quietly line up their next targets – on the pitch and in the dugout – before January’s storm arrives.