Rangers confirm transfer of 'dynamic' talent on long-term deal as fee revealed for 21y/o
Rangers have announced their seventh signing of the summer at Ibrox
Rangers have confirmed the signing of winger Djeidi Gassama on a long-term deal from EFL Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday.
The 21-year-old is understood to have signing for an fee of around £2million and has signed a four-year-contract to become Russell Martin’s seventh signing of the transfer window, following the arrivals of Joe Rothwell, Lyall Cameron, Max Aarons, Thelo Aasgaard, Nasser Djiga and Emmanuel Fernandez.
Following confirmation of his transfer to Ibrox, Gassama spoke of his delight at signing for Rangers, saying: “I am very happy to be here and to join the club. I am very excited to start with my new club, it is a club with a lot of history, and I am very happy. This is a big club, and I need that for my next level and I think it can help me progress.”
Described as a “dynamic” attacker, Gassama began his professional career at Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, and has twice been capped by at France at under-20 level. He made his competitive debut in a 4-0 win over Montpellier in 2020, before spending a season on loan in the Belgian Pro League with Eupen, where he helped them to escape relegation to the second-tier on the final day of the season.
The youngster then moved to England to sign for Sheffield Wednesday in the summer of 2023, where he has spent the last two seasons in the EFL Championship with the Owls. A regular in Danny Rohl’s starting XI, he has scored a total of 12 goals in 84 appearances for the club, with seven of those coming last season as the club finished in 12th place.
“He has so much potential,” said Rohl following his debut performance for Sheffield Wednesday against Bristol City in 2023. “He needs to do it for 90 minutes but he is good one against one, is quick between the lines and I’m very happy with him.” The Owls boss also noted his consistent improvement made it likely he could depart the club this summer, saying in March: “When you perform, when you develop and when you are 21-years-old, the interest will become more and more.
“Bigger clubs will ask about him and this is normal. But from my point of view we should take this as a mark of respect for our work in the last 18 months. Gass is one of the players who made the journey from not being in the squad and nobody believing in him to a player who can make a good performance week by week. He scores and has special moments.”
Head coach Martin echoed the player’s excitement at the signing, adding: “We are very excited to bring Djeidi to the club. He is certainly an exciting player who will get supporters on the edge of their seats, and I believe he will add an extra dimension to our attack with his qualities. He is hungry to improve as a player and, most importantly, is desperate to pull on the Rangers jersey and help deliver success to the club.”
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