Rohl can unearth bigger talent than Gassama in "terrific" Rangers star
Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl has plenty to stew on after his side were beaten 3-1 in the semi-final of the League Cup at Hampden Park on Sunday.
It was a valiant effort from the Light Blues, though, as they played the majority of the game with ten men after Thelo Aasgaard’s red card in the first half for a challenge on Anthony Ralston.
Given the circumstances, the fact that Rangers took the game to extra time is a credit to Rohl and the work that his coaching team have done to make the side harder to play against.
Of course, the German tactician has also won both of his Scottish Premiership matches in charge of the club since he came in to replace Russell Martin, which has provided supporters with a slither of hope for the rest of the season.
There is plenty of work left to do, though, if the Light Blues want to enjoy a successful end to the 2025/26 campaign, as Rohl needs to get more out of the current group of players, at least until the January transfer window.
One player the manager needs to work with to improve his performance is winger Djeidi Gassama, whom he worked with at Sheffield Wednesday.
Why Djeidi Gassama needs to improve his Rangers performances
The French forward arrived at Ibrox from the Owls in a £2.2m deal during the summer transfer window to bolster then-manager Martin’s options at the top end of the pitch.
Gassama made an electric start to life in Glasgow with a return of four goals in six Champions League qualifiers, per Transfermarkt, for the Scottish giants.
Unfortunately, the left-sided attacker has only scored one goal in 15 appearances in every other competition combined so far this season, with no goals in ten appearances in the Premiership.
Gassama has failed to provide consistency in his end product after that exciting start to his career in Glasgow, with just one goal and one assist in his last ten appearances.
Djeidi Gassama’s last 10 appearances
Opponent
Goals
Assists
Celtic
0
0
Hibernian
0
0
Kilmarnock
0
0
Brann
0
0
Dundee United
0
1
Falkirk
0
0
Sturm Graz
1
0
Livingston
0
0
Genk
0
0
Hibernian
0
0
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Frenchman has rarely contributed at the top end of the pitch in recent months, which is why he needs to step up under Rohl and prove that he deserves to be a regular starter.
His inconsistency in the final third should not be a huge surprise, though, as he ended the 2024/25 campaign with eight goals and one assist in 47 games for Sheffield Wednesday in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.
With this in mind, it remains to be seen whether or not Gassama will be able to find that consistency as a scorer and a creator of goals, or if he will have those issues with his game throughout his Rangers career.
Meanwhile, there is another winger in the club’s ranks who has the potential to be an even bigger talent than Gassama at the top end of the pitch.
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Mikey Moore has not set the world alight since his move on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window, but his form at youth level suggests that there is much more to come from him.
Why Mikey Moore can be a bigger talent than Djeidi Gassama
The 18-year-old forward has provided no goals and two assists in 15 appearances in all competitions for Rangers, per Transfermarkt, which is far from an impressive return.
However, it is worth taking into account that this is Moore’s first-ever loan move and first taste of regular first-team football, and he was dropped into an incredibly difficult situation during Martin’s tenure.
Rangers were a struggling team playing in front of a frustrated crowd at Ibrox more often than not, given a run of five wins in 17 matches, and that cannot have been an easy environment for an 18-year-old forward to come into.
It is, therefore, understandable, with the benefit of hindsight, why Moore did not hit the ground running and provide goals and assists straight away.
He has shown some signs of promise since Martin’s departure. After four goals in two matches for England’s U19s during the October international break, Moore provided an assist for James Tavernier in the 2-2 draw with Dundee United.
The English forward also showed some great moments off the bench against Celtic on Sunday, driving Rangers up the pitch with his impressive ball-carrying skills. Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar even described his cameo as “terrific”.
Mikey Moore’s career (U18, U21, and first-team)
Position (appearances)
Goals
Assists
Left wing (19)
4
6
Attacking midfield (9)
6
4
Centre-forward (7)
11
4
Right wing (10)
1
0
Left midfield (1)
0
1
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, Moore’s most productive performances as an attacking force have come in central positions as a number ten or as a centre-forward, but he has mainly played on the wing for the Light Blues.
The England youth international delivered 19 goals and 13 assists in 24 games for Spurs at U18 level, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he does have the potential to provide consistency in the final third when at his best and playing in the right areas.
As you can see in the clip above, Moore pressed well from a central position to create a chance for himself, which he then finished brilliantly.
This suggests that Rohl could get the best out of the young attacker by deploying him in a central role, allowing him to use his ball-carrying and pressing skills to impact games in the middle of the park.
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His form at youth level in central positions then suggests that Moore could be an even bigger talent than Gassama for Rangers because of his consistency, with goals and assists, in the final third, which the Frenchman has struggled with.