On Sunday night, it looked, to all parties concerned, as though Ryan Naderi would be a Rangers player come the summer. The following evening, he was speeding through the gates of the Rangers Training Centre in Milngavie to complete a late deadline day move.
However, Naderi was not coming directly from the airport but had been at Ibrox to record a thematic 'Traitors' style announcement video which would be released at midnight. Rangers had indeed recruited again - remarkably, for the 17th time since the summer.
The deal, formally announced at 11:45 but completed just before the 11:00pm deadline with little time to spare, represents another significant investment in this squad.
Rangers will pay Hansa Rostock a fee to the tune of €5.5million, one day after agreeing a €3.5m deal to sign the player this summer. That's after committing to £3m for Tuur Rommens, £4m for Tochi Chukwuani and a loan-to-buy deal that includes a £9m summer purchase option for Andreas Skov Olsen.
Club sources insist that they are not pinning all their hopes on a young striker who is still learning the game; instead, they view this as further evidence of going after a title that is there to be won and investing in a player who can grow and contribute now.
There is no escaping the fee, though. On one hand, it again represents the new ownership's willingness to spend big. Rangers have committed in the region of £50m in transfer fees since this summer and in the No.9 position alone, close to £20m.
The deal represents the most expensive fee ever paid to a German third division club. Rangers did manage to clear Joe Rothwell's wages off the books by agreeing a permanent deal with Sheffield United yesterday, while talks are ongoing to end Rabbi Matondo's spell at Ibrox early, as the Rangers Review revealed exclusively last night. Danilo, meanwhile, is set to join NEC Nijmegen on loan for the remainder of the season and was in the Netherlands yesterday.
As reported last week, Feyenoord's enquiry for Oliver Antman last week was rebuffed in part because Rangers wanted to focus their efforts on the No.9 position in the final days of the window instead of spreading resources to replace others. Bids for Djeidi Gassama and Youssef Chermiti last week were also rejected, as there was a club-wide acceptance coming into the month that Rangers' most important players would not be sold.
The plan was always to be more 'reactive' in the final days and while word on Friday was that a striker addition was '50/50' and Rangers wouldn't be held to ransom by Rostock, in the end they pushed the boat out.
The aim for this window was to bring in a No.9 who could provide a profile missing in the forward line and Naderi's proclivity to create for others as well as himself, and provide a valuable link tool outside of the box, is seen as complementary to Chermiti's physicality and Bojan Miovski's preference to play on the shoulder. He should offer more of a build-up option and help his side reach the box.
Late on Sunday, Rangers planned to bring Cameron Archer to Glasgow for the second half of the season on a straight loan deal with no option to buy. A deal for Archer was not ruled out until the window's final hours. Unlike Rangers, Southampton had to finish their business by 7pm and agreed a loan with the option to buy for RCD Mallorca striker Cyle Larin in the summer.
However, that move for Archer hinged on a version of events playing out down south. As late as midday, some sources still believed that it would be Archer and not Naderi who pitched up in Glasgow, but in a season so crucial, Rangers could not leave the function of their No.9 position to fate. Early in the day, the wheels were set in motion to sign the German forward.
Southampton were unwilling to lose two No.9s on the same day, with Adam Armstrong replacing Jørgen Strand Larsen at Wolves. Until late afternoon, that deal appeared in the balance, however, after Jean Philippe-Mateta failed a medical at AC Milan, meaning Palace might have pulled out of the move for Strand Larsen, resulting in Armstrong staying at Southampton.
Rangers needed to get Naderi into the country and required time to hash out what had proven to be long negotiations with the German third-tier side, led by sporting director Amir Shapourzadeh.
There was debate internally that existed throughout the window about whether Rangers should go for a 'ready now' candidate at No.9 this month. The transfer style committee, featuring Dan Purdy, Gretar Steinsson, Stig Inge Bjornebye and Rohl has to come to conclusions collectively in what is described as a more holistic approach than the summer months. Rommens and Chukwuani, both 22, are viewed as 'player trading' investments who can contribute in the present too, but Andreas Skov Olsen has been signed to win now.
The Rangers Review understands that talks had been ongoing in the background regarding a deal for Archer for over a month. In the end, there was too much uncertainty surrounding the transfer to guarantee that Rohl would get his desired refresh at the top end of the pitch.
Speaking at Easter Road the day before deadline day, the head coach was honest in his admission that he did not know if another arrival would follow on deadline day. A midfielder by that point was off the cards and the 'crazy' rush to make another addition he'd preemted days before did indeed unfold.
As reported by the Rangers Review on Sunday night, the club agreed to a €3.5m deal with Naderi and Rostock to have him join this summer late on Sunday night.
Read more:
- What Ryan Naderi said in first Rangers interview after record-breaking Ibrox deal
- Rabbi Matondo edges closer to Ibrox exit as Rangers enter talks over Welsh winger
Yesterday, the Ibrox club asked Hansa Rostock to let the attacker join in January, but, understandably perhaps, they refused. In the end, the two clubs agreed on a deal worth €5.5m, with Rangers effectively paying a €2m compensation fee for doing the deal now.
Rangers sources suggest that while a high fee, the striker market is inflated around European football and in Naderi, there was a belief that if they didn't invest now, the opportunity to bring him to Ibrox may disappear. Stand Larsen, one of the dominoes in the potential Archer deal, moving to Palace for £48m after one Premier League goal this season is evidence of that fact.
The deal to sign Naderi is viewed as a strengthening of the No.9 position instead of pinning all hopes on a 22-year-old to win them a first title since 2021. However, they do retain that the willingness to push the boat out and invest late in the window, rather than recalling Danilo and saving money, shows they're going all out to win the title.
With that said, there is no doubting that Naderi, just like 21-year-old forward Chermiti, needs to deliver in the here and now. Rangers haven't been shy of recruiting this season - the question is, will their activity be enough come May?
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