Glasgow Rangers head coach Michael Beale has overhauled his squad throughout the summer transfer window after a disappointing 2022/23 campaign.
Who have Rangers signed this summer?
The Light Blues have reacted to their failure to lift a single trophy last season by snapping up seven new additions to date, in an attempt to bounce back next term.
Kieran Dowell, Jack Butland, Dujon Sterling, Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers, and Leon Balogun have all come through the door on permanent deals, whilst Abdallah Sima has joined on loan from Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.
Two more arrivals are reportedly imminent as the club have agreed a £6m deal to sign Brazilian striker Danilo from Feyenoord and are set to land LAFC central midfielder Jose Cifuentes.
They could, however, extend their business into double figures beyond those two potential signings as they have recently been linked with an interest in Steve Biko central defender Dembo Saidykhan, who could be a long-term heir to Connor Goldson.
How good is Dembo Saidykhan?
The 19-year-old gem currently plays his football in The Gambia and is yet to test himself in a European league, which makes it difficult to gauge exactly how good he is.
However, the 6 foot 1 titan did showcase his talent at the U20 World Cup for his country earlier this year. His statistics throughout the competition suggest that the potential is there for him to be an exciting addition to Beale's squad, albeit not one with a view to the talented teenager being able to make an immediate impact next season.
Saidykhan averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.05 across four outings at the tournament and made 2.5 tackles and interceptions combined per match.
Meanwhile, Goldson, who made 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game, was the only Rangers centre-back to average a score higher than 6.96 across the 2022/23 Scottish Premiership campaign (7.29).
Saidykhan was also reliable in possession for his country, who were knocked out by Uruguay, with a pass completion rate of 89%, which stacks up well alongside the English colossus' 89% success rate at league level last term.
This suggests that the Gambian ace could be an excellent option for the club if he is able to translate that form over to first-team football in the future.
It would be a big ask for a 19-year-old to come over to Europe, and Scotland, for the first time and produce consistently brilliant performances in line with his displays for his country's U20 team.
However, his outings at the World Cup for The Gambia show that the potential is there and that is why Beale could sign him as a long-term heir to Goldson's position on the right of a central defensive pairing.
The current Light Blues battler, who turns 31 in December, is 11 years older than the Steve Biko prodigy and could take the promising youngster under his wing for a couple of seasons to aid Saidykhan's development.
Therefore, the Gers target, who was described as "strong" and "agile" by journalist Hernan Pacheco, could be an intriguing signing for Beale to make with an eye on the future, rather than the here and now.
