Rangers must seriously consider axe for £5M summer signing who flopped v Celtic | OneFootball

If one Rangers player did not come out of Saturday’s Old Firm colossus looking at his best, it was Thelo Aasgaard. Ibrox Noise opposed this signing vehemently when it was made. That stance angered many Rangers fans who believed a Luton player was good enough. At a £5m fee by the illustrious Kevin Thelwell, the Norwegian international may have a CV with his country. However, aspiring to little more than League One is not the calibre Ibrox Noise expects for Rangers.

A familiar recruitment concern

We considered exactly the same issue with Emmanuel Fernandez as well. Technically, he was an Aasgaard peer at the same level, League One. Both cost between £3m and £6m depending on the source. Roughly, it was about £10m for the pair. Ibrox Noise strongly argued against both additions. This was especially true given Fernandez had a confirmed market value of just £300,000.

Measured on the biggest stage

However, the topic of this piece is his Norwegian team mate. Aasgaard once again failed to deliver at any level v Celtic. When it comes to matches against Celtic, Rangers players are judged there. Many players passed that test at the weekend. Chermiti and Butland shone especially. Nicolas Raskin also had a good match.

The half time verdict

Aasgaard’s removal at half time highlighted his problems since joining Rangers. The fact is he is below par. He is still struggling to make an impact as January progresses. While we are not huge fans of Mohamed Diomande either, he offers more. He was a better option in that position. We could do much better than both but Dio is a lesser of two evils.

Standards and recruitment reality

The fact is simple. If you sign players from the lower Championship or League One, that is the standard you get. Even though Rangers won at Parkhead, it does not change the summer work. The squad remains poor. We alluded to this in a previous article. January must be taken very seriously to improve the squad.

Wider squad issues remain

There may be a future problem at right back regarding Dujon Sterling and his recent run-in with the law. James Tavernier may be recalled more regularly depending on events down the line. Nevertheless, Aasgaard is evidence of how much work remains. He has been a £5m waste of money unfortunately. We did not have high hopes for him at Ibrox Noise.

Flat track promise only

The only times he has shone came in bread and butter SPL matches. He showed neat footwork against lower teams. Those SPL teams sit around League One level in England. That is where he shines. Give him a big match, a top six team, or Europe, and Aasgaard drowns.

Effort and impact

He is not a horrible player but he is, however, lazy at times. Plus Aasgaard lacks work ethic. He has jogged or walked far too often. His defending was decent in the previous Celtic match. But that alone is not enough. It does not compensate for poor playmaking and limited effort from a 10.

A poor window overall

He has been a poor signing. No window ever achieves a perfect success rate. Aasgaard has struggled badly. In fairness, so has Fernandez. The majority of Kevin Thelwell’s signings have struggled. One win against Celtic changes nothing from the previous months.

January will define direction

This means January needs serious work. All areas of the team require improvement. Danny Rohl does not really use wingers. Consequently, Antman, Gassama, and others like Mikey Moore are not being used wide. He does not deploy wide men traditionally.

Unclear identity

The January signings will reflect the team he wants to build. Departures will reflect what he no longer wants. We cannot yet predict his final identity. Despite the weekend victory, that identity remains unclear. It is not obvious yet.

Final judgement

We would say Aasgaard cannot be part of it. Unless he follows Chermiti with a staggering redemption, his future looks bleak. At the end of the day, Aasgaard has not worked out. Will he stay. Time will tell.