Rangers loan star is now “world-class” & worth £120m after leaving Ibrox.

Glasgow Rangers have historically relied on loan players to supplement their first-team roster.

In today’s market, spending millions of dollars on a variety of players is just not cost effective, especially since the vast majority of them have been expensive flops (Sam Lammers, for example) who have depleted the club’s resources.

This makes a temporary relocation a far more logical choice. Bringing in a player for a season, often with the parent club paying the majority of their salaries (Aaron Ramsey), while adding a body to the team.

Philippe Clement brought in Mohamed Diomande and Oscar Cortes on loan before signing them to permanent contracts.

Sometimes the moves work, sometimes they don’t, but it’s no secret that the Ibrox club has had the joy of seeing players shine while on loan, and there’s nothing worse than developing love for a loan star.

Let’s look at some of the best over the past few years.

Rangers’ top loan players over the years

Alex McLeish signed Gregory Vignal from Liverpool for the 2004/05 season, and he contributed significantly to the team’s League Cup and domestic title success. His goal against Celtic at Parkhead will not be forgotten easily either.

A few years later, Walter Smith signed Steven Davis to a six-month contract. The Northern Irishman scored against Werder Bremen in the UEFA Cup and signed permanently at the end of the season, becoming one of the club’s best players in recent history.

Fast forward to recent years, and the addition of Ryan Kent was a huge success with the supporters. The Englishman scored six goals and eight assists, and gained popularity among fans by hitting Scott Brown during an Old Firm match.

Jermain Defoe and Ianis Hagi both played for the club on loan before signing permanently, but the less said about Ramsey’s time at Ibrox, the better.

Despite a successful season with 16 goals and two assists, Abdallah Sima was unable to get a permanent contract over the summer.

Malik Tillman stands out among the loan stars of recent years, and there is clearly some sadness that he did not secure a permanent deal when the opportunity presented itself.

Malik Tillman’s Rangers statistics

In the summer of 2022, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst signed Tillman from Bayern Munich on a one-year contract.

Tillman, despite his small stature, demonstrated exceptional talent by scoring 12 goals and five assists in 43 games in all competitions for Glasgow.

Tillman had an impressive debut against Motherwell in a tense match in October 2022, taking the ball in his own half and pushing past a few of opposition players before shooting the ball into the net to assist the side secure a crucial 2-1 victory.

The Gers had the option to buy Tillman for roughly £5.8 million from the German giants.

Due to his performances in Scotland, Bayern believed he would attract significant money from elsewhere, thus the purchase agreement was terminated, with the Bundesliga club paying £1 million and 10% of any future sales of the player.

Tillman joined PSV Eindhoven on loan for a few months before signing permanently for a rumored £12 million fee. The Light Blues were unable to pay the transfer.