Glasgow Rangers have had their takeover officially confirmed, with Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises taking a 51% stake, and the investment group have put £20m in to begin with.
New sporting director Kevin Thelwell has also officially started his job at Ibrox, having joined from Everton, and he will assist with finding the club’s next head coach to replace Barry Ferguson after his interim spell came to an end.
Despite there still not being any official word on who the next manager is going to be, work will be going on in the background to identify targets to bolster the squad.
The summer transfer window opened for business on Sunday and the Light Blues will be looking at players who have the potential to improve the team ahead of next season.
49ers eyeing first Rangers signing
Cyriel Dessers ended the 2024/25 campaign with a return of six goals in his last five matches in the Scottish Premiership, yet his goal burst did not stop him from underperforming against his xG.
The Nigeria international scored 18 goals from 19.73 xG in the Premiership and three goals from 5.3 xG in the Europa League, which shows that he consistently underperformed over the course of the season.
This may be why, according to the print edition of the Daily Mail (2 June, page 69), as relayed by IbroxNews, the 49ers are interested in a deal to sign Jamie Vardy this summer.
The report claims that the Gers are one of a number of clubs to have expressed an interest in signing the former England international on a free transfer, after he confirmed his exit from Leicester City.
Transfer Focus
It remains to be seen, however, whether or not the Foxes legend would be willing to make the move up north to Ibrox to have a crack at Scottish football.
If the 49ers can make Vardy the first signing of the new era in Glasgow, though, then the next Rangers manager could have an upgrade on Dessers on their hands.
Why Jamie Vardy would be an upgrade on Cyriel Dessers
The Leicester icon, who was described as a “living legend” by manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy, may appear to be at the wrong end of his career, at the age of 38, but the striker still plundered nine Premier League goals this season.
Vardy ended his Leicester career with 200 goals in 500 matches, including 145 in 342 games in the Premier League, which shows that he has been prolific throughout his time in England.
The experienced marksman scored 145 goals from 142.02 xG in the top-flight, illustrating how clinical he is in front of goal, whilst finishing chances efficiently has clearly been a problem for Dessers with his xG underperformance.
Appearances
35
xG
17.07
Goals
18
Minutes per goal
99
Big chances missed
16
Assists
2
As you can see in the table above, Vardy played for a Leicester team chasing the title in the 2023/24 Championship season and led them to the trophy with 18 goals from 17.07 xG.
This suggests that, despite his age, the prolific attacker is still at the top of his game as a finisher and has the potential to be a lethal forward option for Rangers in the Scottish Premiership next season.
Vardy also offers a physical presence in the centre-forward position, having won 48% of his ground duels and 48% of his aerial duels in the Premier League this season. Whereas, Dessers only won 34% of his ground battles and 31% of his aerial contests in the Premiership.
This shows that the English star would provide the team with a better outlet in the number nine position, as he is better than the Nigerian lightweight when it comes to duelling with opposition centre-backs.
Rangers eye manager who Arne Slot said creates top build-up and pressure
Is he the perfect man for the job?
ByHenry JacksonJun 2, 2025
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