{"id":250891,"date":"2026-07-01T07:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T07:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/01\/why-rangers-must-beat-celtic-to-sign-a-bigger-talent-than-luke-graham\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T07:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T07:10:13","slug":"why-rangers-must-beat-celtic-to-sign-a-bigger-talent-than-luke-graham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/01\/why-rangers-must-beat-celtic-to-sign-a-bigger-talent-than-luke-graham\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Rangers must beat Celtic to sign a bigger talent than Luke Graham"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Experience is the word for Glasgow Rangers<\/a> this summer, with all three signings so far having been aged 28 or above, a clear shift in thinking in contrast to recent windows at Ibrox.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The latest arrival, Ben Godfrey, is seeking something of a revival following a difficult few years for the 28-year-old centre-back, the Englishman embarking on a fourth loan spell in the space of just 18 months.<\/p>\n

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\n \n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Once a player whom Rio Ferdinand had urged Manchester United to sign in his youth, Godfrey has largely been in exile from parent club Atalanta since signing from Everton in 2024, with his most recent temporary stint coming at Danish side, Brondby.<\/p>\n

Derek McInnes<\/a> will now be tasked with helping to reinvigorate a player who had cost the Toffees a bumper \u00a325m fee<\/a> back in 2020, with there certainly a talent in their somewhere.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Ben Godfrey – Career record<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

\n

Club<\/p>\n<\/th>\n

\n

Games<\/p>\n<\/th>\n

\n

Goals<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Everton<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

93<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Norwich<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

78<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

5<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Shrewsbury<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

51<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

York<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

15<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Brondby<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

12<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Ipswich<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

5<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Atalanta<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

5<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Sheff Utd<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

4<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

If Rangers’ new number four is to be a starting centre-back next term, the question remains as to who will partner him at Ibrox.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Rangers join race to sign centre-back star after Godfrey deal<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

With Derek Cornelius and Nasser Djiga unlikely to return this summer, there is certainly a need to strengthen defensively, even with John Souttar extending his deal earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"souttar-rangers-dundee-united\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Emmanuel Fernandez, for instance, has been regularly linked with what could be a club-record sale<\/a> for the Gers, with the 24-year-old only arriving on a \u00a33.5m deal last summer.<\/p>\n

In terms of a replacement, much has been made of the Glasgow side’s pursuit of Dundee starlet, Luke Graham<\/a>, albeit with the young Scot also attracting significant interest from south of the border.<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n

Rangers do appear to have alternatives, however, with Football Insider reporting<\/a> that the Premiership side have joined Celtic in the race for 21-year-old centre-back, Michael Parker.<\/p>\n

As per the report, a string of clubs are queuing up to sign the youngster from Swedish outfit Orgryte IS, following an impressive start to life in Scandinavia.<\/p>\n

The Old Firm have sent scouts to watch the former West Bromwich Albion man in action of late, with a return to Britain potentially on the cards just five months after leaving the Baggies.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Why Parker could represent an even bigger coup than Graham<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

McInnes inherits a Rangers side who are crying out for defensive stability, having shipped at least two goals in each of the final seven Premiership games of the campaign.<\/p>\n

That record simply isn’t good enough for a team with ambitions of securing the title, with it no surprise that at least one new centre-back could be on the agenda.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Ben-Godfrey\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The aforementioned Graham has long been on the club’s radar by all accounts, although Parker may even represent a bigger coup, with the Englishman another eye-catching, towering profile of defender.<\/p>\n

A 6 foot 4, left-footed centre-back – in a similar mould to Graham – the in-demand gem is only ten league games into his time in Sweden yet has evidently done enough to impress a string of interested suitors.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Luke-Graham-Dundee\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Valued at around \u20ac2m (\u00a31.5m), Parker is earning admirers from clubs in Belgium and Italy, for instance, with Anderlecht and Udinese said to be among those in the frame.<\/p>\n

That perhaps speaks to a difference in quality and potential between the pair, with Graham’s next destination more likely to be in England’s EFL, namely with Portsmouth.<\/p>\n

There’s also plenty to like about what Parker – who can operate at left-back – offers in an attacking sense, having averaged 0.4 key passes per game in 2026, as well as having created two ‘big chances’ in the Allsvenskan.<\/p>\n

For comparison, Graham ended 2025\/26 having created only one ‘big chances, while averaging just 0.3 key passes per game for Steven Pressley’s side.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Luke-Graham-Dundee\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

While it is a limited pool of game time, Parker also avoided making a single error leading to a goal or shot, with Graham, by contrast, producing two errors leading to a goal for Dundee.<\/p>\n

That difference is particularly notable when considering the superior level that Parker has arguably been playing at, with Global Football Rankings placing the Swedish top-flight as the 17th-best in the world, while the Premiership is way down in 33rd place.<\/p>\n

Parker, even at 21, is a real powerhouse of a centre-back, someone who could potentially fill the void left behind by Fernandez, should the Nigerian international swiftly depart this summer.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"emmanuel-fernandez-rangers\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

A first-team outing at West Brom never emerged for the London-born star, yet he did impress in the club’s youth ranks, scoring and assisting six goals in 41 games at U21 level from his defensive berth.<\/p>\n

He’s a menace in both boxes and looks like a potential star of the future, someone who could slot in nicely alongside Godfrey in McInnes’ centre-back ranks.<\/p>\n

\n


\n \"McCrorie-Bristol-City\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\tWhy \u00a34.3m Rangers target should leave Ross McCrorie scared already
\n\t\t<\/a>
\n\t<\/h5>\n

Rangers are reportedly eyeing up a move for a star who could be better than Ross McCrorie.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Experience is the word for Glasgow Rangers this summer, with all three signings so far having been aged 28 or above, a clear shift in thinking in contrast to recent windows at Ibrox. The latest arrival, Ben Godfrey, is seeking something of a revival following a difficult few years for the 28-year-old centre-back, the Englishman […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":250892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6808],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-250891","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250891\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}