Rangers may have a £4M bargain in Flying Finn Oliver Antman | OneFootball

Oliver Antman was a rarity for Ibrox Noise – a new signing this season we were genuinely excited about. And boy did the Fin deliver on his debut.

The 23-year old tore Victoria Plzen apart, admittedly a slight cannon fodder Plzen who were still reeling from losing Sulc.

But you can only beat who you face and Antman lived up to his £4M pricetag by winning a penalty, and nailing an assist.

He wasn’t quite Brian Laudrup, some media are going hysterical based on the Scandinavian connection, but we admit one moment reminded us of the great Dane.

That was, his (second) assist. The way he ran/glided onto Max Aarons’ worldie pass to then squeeze a perfect cross over to Gassama felt very Godrup we have to say.

Overall? Yes, impressive. We saw his numbers in Holland and they shone like a beacon – he’s also a very likeable guy, very ‘Finnish’ (with no jokes at this point).

It’s easy to take to Antman, and while this Plzen were hamstrung completely, you can only beat who you play. And Antman is already a big favourite with Rangers fans.

What pleased us most was his composure. It is one thing to impress technically but another to look so calm in that Ibrox cauldron. He had the ball on a string and seemed to pick every moment with purpose.

He knew when to run when to cut in and when to release the pass. Rangers have not had many wide men with that balance since Kent’s early peak.

The finish might have eluded him but it never dented his confidence. He kept asking for the ball, kept attacking his man and kept raising the tempo. His engine was relentless and he never once took the safe option.

That hunger to keep creating is what separated him from others who have wilted under the pressure.

We also liked his interplay with Dessers and Gassama. That right side clicked fast and could end up being a major strength going forward. When you see that much understanding after one start it bodes well.

If this is his baseline, Rangers may have pulled off the summer’s biggest steal.

Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves but with a goal contribution ratio like that, and already a fan connection, he could become vital. We saw glimpses of real class and there’s more to come.