Glasgow Rangers return to competitive play on Wednesday night as they travel to Greece to face Panathinaikos in the second leg of their second-round Champions League qualifier.
The Light Blues head to Greece with a 2-0 advantage on aggregate after defeating them at Ibrox last week in Russell Martin’s inaugural official match in charge of the club.
Goals from Findlay Curtis and Djeidi Gassama in the second half secured the victory for the Gers, with both wingers cutting inside from the left to strike the ball into the net from a distance.
It was a first opportunity for Ibrox supporters to observe Gassama in action following his transfer from English Championship side Sheffield Wednesday, and he demonstrated his potential with his goal.
The French winger delivered eight goals and one assist in all competitions for the Owls last season, suggesting that Rangers fans can anticipate more quality from him as a scorer this term.
However, the Light Blues may be seeking additional reinforcements in the wide areas because they still lack innovation in those positions, as they aim to discover their new Ryan Kent.
Why Rangers need to find their next Ryan Kent:
In the 2024/25 campaign, no Rangers attacking midfielder or winger provided more than five assists in the Scottish Premiership, and no player in any position amassed more than James Tavernier’s total of seven assists.
This indicates that the Light Blues require a winger who can consistently breach the opposition’s defense with passes and crosses to generate high-quality opportunities for their teammates to score.
The Gers once had a winger with the skill to regularly deliver assists from the flanks when they had Kent on their roster between 2018 and 2023, especially in his final few seasons at Ibrox.
As you can see in the table above, the English forward reached double figures for assists in his last three seasons with the club and produced at least nine assists in four of his five years in Glasgow.
These figures demonstrate that he was a reliable creative threat down the left wing for the Gers, although they also reveal that he was inconsistent as a goalscorer.
Rangers are now seeking to enhance their squad’s creativity to improve the team, and a recent report suggests they are on the brink of landing their next version of Ryan Kent.
Rangers set to sign new winger
According to the Daily Record, the Premiership giants have reached an agreement with Go Ahead Eagles to sign winger Oliver Antman to strengthen their lineup.
The report claims that the Finland international is poised to become the latest addition to Martin’s team within the next 24 to 48 hours, with a possible debut against Motherwell in the Premiership on Saturday.
It adds that a fee of around £5m has been mentioned for the 23-year-old right-sided attacker, who is now set to negotiate personal terms before completing a medical and officially joining the club.
The Daily Record explains that the two teams have made progress on a deal for the forward in recent days, and a fee has now been settled to bring the Finnish talent to Ibrox this summer.
It now seems to be only the finer details, including a medical and media obligations, that need to be finalized before the Gers can officially announce Antman as their new star.
Why Oliver Antman could be the new Ryan Kent for Rangers:
Rangers could finally have their new Ryan Kent in place once they complete this deal in the coming hours or days, as he is an exceptionally creative forward.
Antman is not a direct match to the English forward, because he primarily plays on the right rather than the left, but they share similar creative attributes.
The Finland international, who assisted a goal for his country against Scotland last year, enjoyed an impressive season with Go Ahead Eagles in the Eredivisie in the 2024/25 campaign, showcasing his ability to create goals regularly.
Like Kent, Antman struggled at times as a goalscorer. He only scored six goals from 6.99 xG in the Dutch top-flight, which shows that the winger was too inefficient in front of goal, but the £5m-rated star compensated with his assists.
24/25 Eredivisie
Oliver Antman
Starts
28
Goals
6
Key passes per game
1.6
Big chances created
16
xA
6.54
Assists
15
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the 23-year-old talent created an impressive 16 ‘big chances’ in 28 starts in the Eredivisie, which resulted in 15 assists.
His tally of 15 assists in the league meant that he generated more than double as many league goals for his side compared to Tavernier, who was the top creator for Rangers in the Premiership last term with seven.
This suggests that Antman, who was aptly described as a “creative” winger by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has the potential to be a Kent-like figure on the flank for Rangers due to his ability to consistently create ‘big chances’ for his teammates to score.
Of course, the young attacker is untested in the Premiership and needs to prove he can perform in Scottish football, but his form for Go Ahead Eagles indicates that the potential exists for him to be a highly creative presence out wide for Martin.
Hopefully, Rangers will finalize this deal sooner rather than later, and supporters will get the chance to see him in action for the first time on Saturday against Motherwell.