{"id":167731,"date":"2025-06-08T13:56:17","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T13:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/167731\/"},"modified":"2025-06-08T13:56:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-08T13:56:17","slug":"dream-rangers-xi-for-russell-martin-with-two-12m-men-prize-ibrox-asset-and-leeds-united-connection-exploited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/167731\/","title":{"rendered":"Dream Rangers XI for Russell Martin with two \u00a312m men, prize Ibrox asset and Leeds United connection exploited"},"content":{"rendered":"

Record Sport’s Scott McDermott looks at how the Light Blues could line up in a dream scenario for the new boss\"Harrison,Harrison, Cortes and Toffolo <\/p>\n

New Rangers boss Russell Martin<\/a> has already set his sights on Ibrox signing targets after taking over as gaffer.<\/p>\n

Record Sport<\/strong> exclusively revealed that he\u2019s keen on Israeli striker Dor Turgeman from Maccabi Tel Aviv and Leicester City defender Conor Coady<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And the Rangers rumour mill is in overdrive, in terms of which players might follow him to Glasgow.<\/p>\n

Martin will also be assessing the squad he\u2019s inherited from Philippe Clement, with some players fighting for their futures.<\/p>\n

After finishing 17 points behind Celtic, there will be a complete overhaul this summer, especially with new sporting director Kevin Thelwell<\/a> on board.<\/p>\n

Martin has been linked with guys he\u2019s worked with in the past at former clubs Southampton and Swansea City.<\/p>\n

And being renowned for his distinct style of play, the new Gers boss will know exactly the type of player he wants to bring to Ibrox.<\/p>\n

Here, Record Sport<\/strong> takes a look at what his new-look Rangers<\/a> side might look like if he can pull off a dream summer transfer window:<\/p>\n

\"RangersRangers dream XI<\/p>\n

Jack Butland<\/strong><\/p>\n

It remains to be seen whether Martin will want a new goalkeeper to kick-start his Rangers revolution.<\/p>\n

To play in his style the keeper has to be adept with the ball at his feet and Butland has had issues in that department.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s a former England international who has another two years left on his contract so should start the season as Gers\u2019 number one<\/p>\n

James Tavernier<\/strong><\/p>\n

Martin wants his full-backs to bomb up and down with energy – and the skipper will be 34 in October.<\/p>\n

But the manager has already confirmed that his former Ibrox team-mate, Tavernier<\/a>, will remain as club captain this season.<\/p>\n

He also said that he\u2019ll have to earn a start like every other player so it will be interesting to see what competition Tavernier has at right-back.<\/p>\n

Conor Coady<\/strong><\/p>\n

Martin is keen to add experience to Rangers\u2019 backline and sees the former England centre-back as an ideal addition.<\/p>\n

Coady was captain at Wolves for years before moving to Leicester for \u00a312 million.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a ball-playing defender with proper leadership skills and a big voice in the dressing-room.<\/p>\n

If Martin gets his man this summer, he\u2019ll be a key signing for Gers.<\/p>\n

Harry Darling<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Martin moved from MK Dons to Swansea City, he immediately wanted Darling to join him in Wales.<\/p>\n

He went on to become a vital player for him at the Liberty Stadium and is now available on a free transfer with his contract expired.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s loads of interest from other Championship clubs but Darling would seem an obvious target for Martin who knows he can rely on him.<\/p>\n

Harry Toffolo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Martin knows Toffolo from his days at Norwich when the left-back was a youth player who eventually left Carrow Road and made a name for himself at Huddersfield.<\/p>\n

\"HarryHarry Toffolo.<\/p>\n

Nottingham Forest signed him when they were promoted to the Premier League.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s available on a Bosman and would give Gers experience at left-back – as well as challenging Jefte should Ridvan Yilmaz move on.<\/p>\n

Flynn Downes<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt Martin would love to have Downes at Ibrox as his number six and midfield orchestrator.<\/p>\n

The former West Ham kid was an integral part of his Southampton team who got promoted to the Premier League when he was on loan at St Mary\u2019s.<\/p>\n

But that deal was made permanent for a huge \u00a312 million fee so it will be difficult – and expensive – to lure him to Ibrox.<\/p>\n

Nico Raskin<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Belgian midfielder is one of the few genuinely valuable assets in the Rangers squad Martin has taken on.<\/p>\n

Especially now that he\u2019s an established international player in the Red Devils\u2019 side alongside the likes of Kevin de Bruyne.<\/p>\n

Gers will be braced for summer bids for Raskin but if Martin is assessing what he\u2019s got in the building, he will surely be determined to ensure the 24-year-old stays in Govan.<\/p>\n

Metinho<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rangers were heavily linked with Metinho even before Martin was appointed so might well be a player on Thelwell\u2019s list of targets.<\/p>\n

The Troyes midfielder has impressed on loan at Swiss club Basel and is a box-to-box player who would fit perfectly into Martin\u2019s style of play.<\/p>\n

He grew up in Rio de Janeiro and has been dubbed the Brazilian Paul Pogo.<\/p>\n

At just 22 he\u2019s got the potential to be a poser boy for Rangers\u2019 new player trading model.<\/p>\n

Oscar Cortes<\/strong><\/p>\n

At his unveiling, Martin was keen to point out that he\u2019s going to give current Rangers players a chance to impress. He says he\u2019s ready to be surprised by certain individuals.<\/p>\n

Colombian winger Cortes would certainly fall into that category.<\/p>\n

A \u00a34million buy from Lens, he\u2019s struggled to make an impact at Ibrox due to injury.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s now fully fit and the new boss likes to play with wide players. He might just unlock Cortes\u2019 quality.<\/p>\n

Dor Turgeman<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rangers and Martin are very keen on the Israeli front-man to spearhead their attack ahead of the new season.<\/p>\n

\"DorDor Turgeman(Image: AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Turgeman bagged 20 goals for Maccabi Tel Aviv as they won the title last term and has loads of admirers around Europe.<\/p>\n

Martin wanted him at Southampton and has now reignited his interest at Ibrox. At around \u00a34 million, he\u2019d be a statement signing for the new regime.<\/p>\n

Jack Harrison<\/strong><\/p>\n

With Vaclav Cerny not returning to Ibrox after his successful loan stint, Rangers need a right winger – especially with the way Martin wants to see his team play.<\/p>\n

And given the new ownership\u2019s links to Leeds United – via Paraag Marathe and the 49ers – Harrison is someone they could look at.<\/p>\n

He spent last season at Everton in the Premier League on loan but has now returned to Elland Road.<\/p>\n

If he\u2019s not part of Daniel Farke\u2019s plans in England\u2019s top flight, Ibrox could be his next destination.<\/p>\n

Substitutes:<\/strong> Liam Kelly, John Souttar, Jefte, Mohamed Diomande, Joe Aribo, Cyriel Dessers, Hamza Igamane, Jamie Vardy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Record Sport’s Scott McDermott looks at how the Light Blues could line up in a dream scenario for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":167732,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8814],"tags":[748,2628,393,4884,34286,1948,1949,70133,1860,40765,1946,28104,1638,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-167731","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leeds","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-celtic-fc","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-ibrox-stadium","13":"tag-jack-butland","14":"tag-james-tavernier","15":"tag-kevin-thelwell","16":"tag-leeds","17":"tag-nicolas-raskin","18":"tag-rangers-fc","19":"tag-russell-martin","20":"tag-scottish-premiership","21":"tag-uk","22":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114648094213888151","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167731\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}