Sky Sports contributor and Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie has reacted to the transfer of Rabbi Matondo to the club.
The Gers have won the race to sign the Welsh winger for a reported €3m (£2.5m) after a number of clubs were said to have been put on red alert when it became clear that Cercle Brugge – where he was on loan last season – were unable to activate their €3.5m (£3m) option-to-buy clause from parent club Schalke.
City rivals Celtic, Brentford, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and a trio of Ligue 1 clubs (BILD) were also said to have been interested in the 21-year-old, whose career has stalled since his £11.29m switch to Germany back in 2019.
However, the former Manchester City academy star looks set to be handed a starring role on the right flank for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side, given that no current Light Blue could make a telling impact there last term, with natural left-sided player Scott Wright often handed the task of filling in there.
And that certainly seems to be the thinking of Barrie, who alongside comments made by head of recruitment Ross Wilson on the signing, gave his take on Matondo’s arrival.
Taking to Twitter, he posted: “Sounds like he may well be the right-wing signing.”
Ross Wilson on Rabbi Matondo ?
“We wanted to invest in a wide player this summer and we are excited with what Rabbi will bring to our group, with his speed and his general style of play.”
Sounds like he may well be the right-wing signing? https://t.co/9vA3G1Kc6V
— Joshua Barrie (@JoshuaBarrieRR) July 12, 2022
TIF Thoughts on Matondo and Rangers…
Is Matondo a good signing?
Yes
No
Although Matondo has displayed an array of versatility throughout his short career so far, it is the right-hand side where he tends to operate most often.
During the second half of the 2020/21 campaign, the Liverpool-born forward had a spell on loan at Stoke City and was deployed on the right, however, he did perform predominantly on the left in Belgium last season, where he rediscovered his form – with 12 goal contributions in 27 appearances. This is perhaps what made his services more appealing to Van Bronckhorst.
Given the precarious contract situation surrounding Ryan Kent, he could certainly be instructed to play down the left if needed, but considering the current options in that area, it does perhaps seem as if the 11-cap Wales ace will be on the opposite side in line with Barrie’s thinking, giving the Dutch manager a threatening and dynamic winger down either channel.