Soccer

Phillipe Clement ‘thrilled’ as Rangers sign Neraysho Kasanwirjo from Feyenoord

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers expects to have a stronger squad by the end of the transfer window as he predicted a “revolving door” late on.

Rangers manager Philippe Clement added to his squad on deadline day
Rangers manager Philippe Clement added to his squad on deadline day (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Rangers boss Phillipe Clement is “thrilled” to have signed Neraysho Kasanwirjo from Feyenoord.

The 22-year-old Dutch defender will join the club on loan, with an option to make it a permanent move next summer.

The move is subject to international clearance and Clement told Rangers TV: “We are thrilled to welcome Neraysho to the football club and we believe he will be a big asset to the team.

“He can play in a number of defensive positions and will be a good option for the squad with the domestic and European commitments we have this campaign.

“He is looking forward to starting the next chapter in his career and we are pleased Neraysho has decided to join Rangers.”

Kasanwirjo, who has represented his country at youth and Under-21 level, began his career with Ajax before switching to FC Groningen and then moving to Feyenoord in January 2023. He also spent last season on loan at Rapid Vienna in the Austrian Bundesliga.

Kasanwirjo said: “I’m very excited to join the club and play for the fans. I spoke with the coach who had a good feeling, and the most important thing for me is to play and help the team as much as I can.

“Rangers is a really big and traditional club. There are a lot of memories and you need to win games. I want to win and bring the level of the team up, so it’s a good step for me.”

Scott Wright’s Ibrox exit was the first confirmed move of transfer deadline day in the William Hill Premiership as he joined Birmingham for an undisclosed fee reported to be around £300,000.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers expects to have a stronger squad by the end of the transfer window as he predicted a “revolving door” in the final hours.

The Scottish champions are expected to wrap up deals for Augsburg midfielder Arne Engels and Sheffield United defender Auston Trusty ahead of the 11pm deadline.

They have been linked with other midfield targets including Dundee captain Luke McCowan.

Brendan Rodgers was in a positive mood
Brendan Rodgers was in a positive mood (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Rodgers said at his pre-match media conference ahead of Sunday’s visit of Rangers: “We are in a really good place and we hope that by the close of the market we will have a number of signings sealed and making our squad stronger.

“The club have been great in terms of trying to push these deals through. Quality always takes that little bit of time.”

Mikey Johnston has finalised a permanent move to West Brom.

Rodgers said: “I think it’s a revolving door really, there will hopefully be ones coming in and some players need to go and play. Gustaf (Lagerbielke) has already gone out and there will be a few others that need to go and play.”

Motherwell secured the Premiership’s first signing of the day by bringing Jack Vale back from Blackburn on a season-long loan.

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin is hoping to confirm the arrival of a new striker on Friday evening.

“We’ve been needing to strengthen the top area of the pitch as Jort van der Sande and Louis Moult are the only two senior strikers in the group,” he added. “I’m confident by the end of the window we’ll have another one to add.”

Jim Goodwin has a striker lined up
Jim Goodwin has a striker lined up (Steve Welsh/PA)

Goodwin confirmed talks over Liam Grimshaw’s departure were “ongoing” but he does not want to sell teenager Brandon Forbes, who has attracted serious interest from Norwich.

“The club are not in a position where we need to sell any players,” Goodwin said. “Unless it’s right for us as a club, nothing will be happening on that.”

Jimmy Thelin saw defender Jayden Richardson leave Aberdeen and declared the transfer window closed for the Pittodrie club after eight summer arrivals.

The right-back arrived at Aberdeen in the summer of 2022 from Nottingham Forest but following loan periods at Stockport and Colchester last season has struggled to find game time.

Jair Tavares (left) has swapped Hibs for Motherwell
Jair Tavares (left) has swapped Hibs for Motherwell (Jane Barlow/PA)

Hibs confirmed that 23-year-old Jair Tavares has joined Motherwell on loan for the rest of the 2024-25 campaign.

Both Dundee and Ross County added to their squads on Thursday.