There will be plenty of change at Ibrox this summer after Glasgow Rangers confirmed that several players will be moving on from the club ahead of next season.
A new head coach will also be in the dugout when the 2025/26 campaign gets underway, as the Light Blues have confirmed that Barry Ferguson will not be getting the job on a full-time basis after his interim spell.
As well as the Scottish interim boss, Rangers have revealed that three first-team players will be leaving Glasgow as free agents at the end of this month.
The Rangers players being released this summer
Rangers have announced that Tom Lawrence, Leon Balogun, and Ianis Hagi will not have their contracts renewed, making them free agents ahead of the summer transfer window.
They are three experienced operators who will be moving on from Ibrox, and two of them – Balogun and Hagi – were part of the 2020/21 title-winning campaign under Steven Gerrard.
Hagi, in particular, played a big role on the pitch this season with four goals and five assists in 24 appearances in the Scottish Premiership after coming in from the cold.
These three stars are not the only experienced players who should be ruthlessly ditched by the 49ers, once the takeover is completed, and Kevin Thelwell this summer, however, as Robin Propper should also be on the chopping block.
Why Robin Propper should be sold this summer
The Gers swooped to sign the Dutch defender from FC Twente to bolster their backline in the summer transfer window last year after Connor Goldson moved on from Ibrox.
Unfortunately, the 31-year-old centre-back does not seem particularly suited to the physical nature of the Scottish Premiership, as opposition forwards have found it too easy against him at times.
Rangers only conceded nine goals in the 11 matches that he did not feature in and 32 in the 27 that he did play, which suggests that they were better defensively without him.
Appearances
30
27
Goals conceded
22
32
Dribbled past per game
0.2x
0.4x
Ground duel success rate
73%
62%
Aerial duel success rate
67%
64%
Fouls per game
0.7
0.9
As you can see in the table above, the Light Blues made their team worse by replacing Goldson with Propper, who has failed to offer more quality in the centre-back position, as shown by the stark contrast in goals conceded.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Back in December, pundit Neil McCann outlined how concerning Propper’s performances were in the Premiership. He said: “Propper is struggling. He’s been pretty vocal over the last couple of weeks that he’s finding it tough in our league. He’s been asked the question early on. It’s quite worrying when you see him struggling as bad as that. Look at the body language – he’s looking for a way out already.”
This is why the 49ers must ruthlessly axe the central defender from the squad in the summer transfer window, if there are any clubs interested in snapping him up, because he has not adjusted well to Scottish football.
Whilst he is not the only player in the defence, it is worrying that there has been a huge drop off in defensive form since he was signed to replace Goldson, and that the team has a better defensive record without Propper in the side.
Therefore, Rangers must move on from Propper in the summer transfer window after they have already made the ruthless decisions to release Balogun, Hagi, and Lawrence.
Rangers looking at "outstanding" English coach who's better than Gerrard
Rangers’ six-man managerial shortlist has been revealed, and the 49ers should hire an “outstanding” coach rather than going back to Steven Gerrard.
ByBen GrayMay 21, 2025