Why Rangers should sign £5m alongside Cerny to strengthen their right-back

Glasgow Rangers have done plenty of business for Derek McInnes since the summer transfer window officially opened last month.

The defense has been strengthened by the signings of Ivor Pandur, Ben Godfrey, and Ross McCrorie, while Cammy Devlin and Dan Neil have also been brought in to strengthen the midfield.

Lawrence Shankland, signed before McInnes arrived, is the only natural attacker added to the squad, however, and the aim throughout the window should be to bolster the forward line.

One of the attacking players who may sign for the Scottish Premiership giants this summer is Vaclav Cerny, who plays for Besiktas.

The latest in Rangers' pursuit is Vaclav Cerny

The Light Blues had the Czech international on loan at Wolfsburg for the 2024/25 campaign with Philippe Clement and then Barry Ferguson in charge, and he caught the eye with his performances in Glasgow.

Cerny notched 18 goals and six assists in the Premiership and Europa League combined, and ranked well above his peers in most attacking metrics in the top flight.

Now, the Gers are hoping to bring the player back to Ibrox for a second time. Last week the club were said to be preparing a new bid to sign him from Besiktas, having already seen a £5m offer rejected by the Turkish giants.

Rangers are hoping to agree a deal under £8.5m to sign the former Wolfsburg striker to join their attack, replacing Andreas Skov Olsen after his loan spell expired.

McInnes currently has no natural left-footed attacking players, apart from Bojan Miovski, and Cerny's return will give him a different attacking profile in wide areas, to keep opponents guessing.

Who could Rangers sign alongside Cerny

While the club are eyeing a deal to bring the Czech star back to Ibrox, they are also eyeing a dream partner for the centre-back.

Journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, reports that Glasgow Rangers are one of the clubs interested in signing Ryan Alebiosu from Blackburn Rovers this summer.

The reporter says that the Premier League team, Brentford and the Gers both sent scouts to Blackburn's friendly match with Barnsley in the hope of seeing him play, but he did not appear in the Championship.

Despite not being able to see him play, Nixon reveals that Rangers and Brentford are both expected to make moves for the right-back before the end of the window.

Alebiosu, who has been paid £5m, would be an excellent player to pair with Cerny down the wing, playing right back behind the left-footed star as a right winger.

The Nigerian full-back is an attacking full-back who always poses a danger from crossing the right, as evidenced by his 12 'big chances' he created in the Championship last season.

Rangers, of course, have already signed a right-back from the English Championship, McCrorie, but Alebiosu was more exciting as an attacking threat than a Scottish defender at that level.

The £5m star created five more 'big chances' and collected 3.41 xA more than his team-mates, while both played 39 times for their respective clubs.

Alebiosu also had Premiership experience on loan with St Mirren for the 2024/25 campaign, creating two 'big chances' in 13 league games, while also completing 1.2 catches per game.

The Nigerian star, who was described as “powerful” by commentator Kai Watson, will be an ideal partner for Cerny down the right as his ability to create passing opportunities means he will always attract the attention of defenders.

That focus will give Cerny more room to operate and allow him to cut inside on his favored left foot from the right, or shoot or dodge himself, or hide a pass from Alebiosu to cross the ball.

There is still a lot of work to be done, however, as the club is yet to agree terms with Besiktas or Blackburn, and doing so should be the next step for them this summer.