Glasgow Rangers have gone five years without winning the Scottish Premiership and are on the cusp of being two years without a trophy in any competition.
They have endured such dark times on the pitch because they have made far too many signings that have not worked out under a host of different managers, including Philippe Clement, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale, and Danny Rohl.
One of the many signings who did not work out at Ibrox was winger Rabbi Matondo, who was released on a free transfer by the Scottish giants earlier this year.
The Wales international recently signed for Hibernian on a free transfer and could come up against Derek McInnes‘ side in the league later this season.
How Rabbi Matondo’s time at Rangers came to an end
Matondo was an exciting signing for the Gers when he arrived from Schalke on a permanent deal in the summer of 2022, but he failed to score in 28 appearances in all competitions in the 2022/23 campaign.
He improved in his second season at Ibrox, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 31 games, yet 23 matches missed through injury disrupted his progress.
The forward had some big moments in a Gers shirt, when he did get on the pitch, and the most notable one was his stunning curling effort from distance in a 3-3 draw with Celtic in the Premiership.
Unfortunately, his unreliability caught up with him and he was either an unused substitute or not selected for the matchday squad on 14 occasions in the first half of the 2024/25 campaign, before being sent out on loan to Hannover.
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Last 8 league games before Matondo’s loan to Hannover |
|
|---|---|
|
Opposition |
Minutes |
|
Dundee United |
0 |
|
Aberdeen |
0 |
|
St. Johnstone |
0 |
|
Dundee |
45 |
|
Hibernian |
0 |
|
Celtic |
0 |
|
Motherwell |
24 |
He only played 69 minutes in the last eight Premiership matches before his move to Germany, which shows that he was turned into a bit-part player before his eventual departure.
Rangers have found their new Rabbi Matondo
Now, there is a player in the current first-team squad under McInnes who is well on his way to becoming the next version of Matondo at Ibrox.
Centre-forward Bojan Miovski was left as an unused substitute in the 2-2 draw with Dundee on Saturday night, despite the fact that Rangers were chasing a third goal to win the game from the 69th minute onwards.
The Macedonia international should be kicking the manager’s door down to demand a transfer away from Ibrox when the January transfer window opens, as he is not getting enough game time this season.
After joining from Girona for an initial £2.6m last year, the left-footed forward scored 13 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, but found himself behind Youssef Chermiti and Ryan Naderi in the pecking order in the league.
This season, the experienced striker has been behind Chermiti, Naderi, Lawrence Shankland, and Kevin Kelsy at various points, and is yet to start a match in any competition.
In the 2026/27 Premiership campaign, the former Aberdeen marksman has played a total of 24 minutes across the team’s nine matches in the division, coming off the bench three times.
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Bojan Miovski in 2026/27 Premiership |
|
|---|---|
|
Opposition |
Minutes |
|
Dundee |
0 |
|
Kilmarnock |
2 |
|
Celtic |
0 |
|
St Mirren |
12 |
|
Motherwell |
0 |
|
Falkirk |
10 |
|
Aberdeen |
0 |
|
Hibernian |
0 |
|
Dundee United |
0 |
Miovski currently looks like Matondo did at the end of his time at Ibrox because he is struggling for minutes on the pitch for the Light Blues, and has even missed out on three matchday squads already this season.
His lack of minutes will be particularly frustrating for him because he took his chance when it came off the bench against St Mirren, scoring a stoppage-time winner last month.
Since scoring that winner against the Saints, though, Miovski has only played two minutes in three league matches for the Scottish giants, as McInnes has preferred other attacking players ahead of him.
Even with Shankland and Chermiti out with long-term injuries, the Macedonian forward is not getting anything close to regular minutes on the pitch for the Gers.
Miovski, therefore, needs to seek a move away from Rangers in January, as Matondo did when he joined Hannover in January 2025, because he could go away and play regular football elsewhere.
He is an experienced Premiership striker who scored 13 goals in all competitions for the Gers last season and could be a valuable player for another club, which is why he must hand in a transfer request in the coming weeks.
