Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin still has plenty to think about before the summer transfer window officially slams shut at the start of next month.
RangersReview recently reported that Jefte is closing in on a move to Brazilian side Palmeiras for a fee of £6m, just 12 months on from his £800k transfer from Fluminense.
This means that the Light Blues are poised to make a significant profit on the 21-year-old left-back, who started 30 of the club’s 38 matches in the Scottish Premiership during the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore.
It also means, though, that Rangers will be light in the left-back department, as Ridvan Yilmaz has not featured in any of the club’s matchday squads this season.
Rangers hopeful of signing new left-back
This means that Max Aarons, a right-footed left-back, will be the only senior left-back option available, given Yilmaz’s exclusion from the team, once Jefte’s move is completed.
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Rangers have been linked with a loan interest in Brentford left-back Jayden Meghoma, and Russell Martin is hopeful that a deal can be done for the defender.
The Gers head coach said: “So Jay (Meghoma) is a player we know from Southampton, spent a year with us as a young boy, training every day, understands the work, top talent, plays for England at all the youth levels.”
“Brentford signed him for a lot of money for a teenager, and he went on loan last year and to the Championship did really well, so he’s a player we know and like. Hopefully, at some point, he’ll be a Rangers player and you’ll know that when he is.”
What Jayden Meghoma can bring to Rangers
The 19-year-old defender, who was signed for £10m by the Bees last year, could be a dream for Djeidi Gassama down the left flank with the way that he likes to bomb forward.
Since signing from Sheffield Wednesday, Gassama has been a hit with the Gers supporters. The 21-year-old forward has scored four goals in six matches in all competitions, per Sofascore, to prove himself to be a big threat at the top end of the pitch.
Instead of having a right-footed player in Aarons failing to provide much support on the overlap, the Frenchman will surely love to have a naturally left-footed, attack-minded, full-back in Meghoma to support him.
xAG
0.09
Top 27%
Assists
0.12
Top 21%
Shot-creating actions (defensive action)
0.12
Top 5%
Goal-creating actions
0.35
Top 6%
Percentage of dribblers tackled
76.9%
Top 8%
As you can see in the table above, Meghoma showed signs of promise as an attacking force on loan at Preston North End in the Championship last term, ranking highly in creating chances for his teammates.
Interestingly, he ranked highly for tackling dribblers and creating shots for his team through defensive actions. This suggests that he excels at winning the ball back on the flank and then playing the ball forward to start moves that end up with shots at goal.
Gassama could, therefore, benefit from having the aggressive full-back behind him because his pace on the counter-attack could make the most of the attacks that the teenage defender has the potential to create.
Meghoma, who was described as “fast” and “tricky” by Paul Heckingbottom, could also be a shrewd addition to the team because he worked with Martin during their time together at Southampton, which means that he already knows how the manager works and wants to play.
The England U19 international could use that experience to hit the ground running as a replacement for Jefte at Ibrox, whilst also having the potential to be a dream for Gassama down the left flank.