Rangers flop with “absolutely no output” is now becoming the new Matondo
It will be interesting to see which players Glasgow Rangers look to move on from when the January transfer window opens in less than two weeks.
Clinton Nsiala felt like a player who was primed for a move away from Ibrox, as he had not played a single minute in any competition before their clash with Hibernian, but he won 100% of his duels in 30 minutes off the bench on Monday, per Sofascore.
It now remains to be seen whether or not the former AC Milan central defender will get more opportunities to impress Danny Rohl in the Scottish Premiership, or if he will be moved on next month.
One player who does look likely to move on from the Scottish giants in January, despite there being no current rumours around his future at the club,
Why Rabbi Matondo could leave Rangers in January
The Wales international returned to training with the Gers in the middle of November and the Daily Record suggested that he could be given a chance under Rohl, having been injured for the duration of Russell Martin’s tenure.
However, one month later, Matondo has yet to play a single minute or even make a single matchday squad for Rangers in the 2025/26 campaign, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he is firmly out of the first-team picture.
Since joining from Schalke in the summer of 2022, the Welsh attacker has scored eight goals and provided 11 assists in 67 appearances for the Light Blues, per Transfermarkt, which is a decent, but unremarkable, return in the final third.
Decent but unremarkable ultimately sums up his time on the pitch with the Gers, and his lack of minutes this season suggests that he may not get a chance to change that narrative before a potential move in January.
The Rangers player who could be the next Rabbi Matondo
Unfortunately, there is another Rangers forward, signed in the summer, who may be on his way to becoming the new Matondo at Ibrox this season.
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The Light Blues signed Djeidi Gassama from Sheffield Wednesday for £2.2m in the summer transfer window, but he has failed to convince after a bright start to life in Glasgow.
He scored four goals in six Champions League qualifiers, per Transfermarkt, at the start of his career with the club, and looked set to be a big start at Ibrox.
However, the French forward has only produced two goals and one assist in 24 appearances in every other competition combined this season, per Transfermarkt, which shows that his European form was nothing more than a flash in the pan.
Earlier this month, writer and Rangers fan Kai Watson claimed that Gassama is offering “absolutely no output recently”, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment.
The 22-year-old flop has produced one goal and no assists in his last 13 appearances in all competitions, per Sofascore, with no goals or assists in his last seven outings on the wing for the Scottish giants.
Remarkably, Matondo even contributed more at the top end of the pitch in the Premiership in his six appearances for Philippe Clement last season before being sent out on loan to Hannover for the second half of the campaign.
Premiership
Gassama (25/26)
Matondo (24/25)
Appearances
16
6
Goals
1
2
Big chances missed
3
3
Big chances created
2
2
Assists
1
2
Successful dribbles per game
2.1
1.3
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Wales international was directly involved in four goals in six matches last term, whilst Gassama has mustered up only two goal contributions in 16 league games so far.
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These statistics illustrate how underwhelming the former Sheffield Wednesday man has been in the final third since his impressive start to life at Rangers in the Champions League qualifiers, as he has been even less impressive than Matondo at Premiership level.
That is why he is in danger of his overall career at Rangers following Matondo’s, as he could end up being another average winger who fails to establish himself as a real star at Ibrox.
Unless Gassama can turn his form around and prove that he can deliver goals and assists on a consistent basis in the Premiership, the Frenchman may also find himself in Matondo’s current position in the future, as a player who is not in the first-team plans and may have to look for a transfer away from Ibrox.
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