Rangers’ 22‑year‑old centre‑back Olwethu Makhanya is attracting interest from clubs in Italy and Spain, but the club has no immediate plans to sell him. The defender, who helped the club to a win over Kilmarnock, has been on the radar of scouts from Brentford and Sunderland, who were present at the match. Makhanya’s performances have also drawn attention from the TransferRoom study, which highlighted him and midfielder Vanja Dragojevic as two of the most promising young players in the club’s ranks.
The news comes amid a busy transfer window for Rangers, with the club reportedly looking to strengthen its squad for the upcoming Europa League campaign. Former striker Chris Sutton has cautioned that Celtic are too big to be dismissed this season, and he has urged mis‑firing striker Kasper Høg to rise to the occasion against Benfica. Meanwhile, Rangers’ medical team have cleared Dujon Sterling to start against Dundee after he had been ill earlier in the week.
In other Scottish football headlines, former Rangers youth winger Josh McPake has been praised for his recent form and earned a Scotland call‑up after a discussion with Heart of Midlothian coach Wouter Vrancken about his exclusion from the club’s European squad. The club’s academy centre‑half David Odunukan, who was born in London but moved to Scotland as an infant, is being considered for an England call‑up following his involvement in Scotland Under‑16 training camps.
The transfer market remains active, with Dundee’s former centre‑half Luke Graham moving to Stoke City for £2 million after a stint at St Johnstone. Dundee’s new academy head, Paul McDonald, has vowed to prevent the loss of young talent in the future. Former Celtic, Hibernian and Scotland striker Derek Riordan has revealed that he could have signed for Rangers twice, but the club declined to meet his wage demands.
Police Scotland is also exploring the use of facial‑recognition technology to curb football‑related violence, according to the country’s top police officer. The developments across the Scottish game underscore a season of significant activity both on and off the pitch.