Rangers

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New Rangers signing Kim Min-su says he brings a winning mentality and hopes to "help the team to be better every day".

The South Korean winger, 20, has signed a four-year deal after joining from Girona for a reported £8.5m fee.

Kim, who is Derek McInnes' 12th signing of the window, spent last season on loan at Spanish second-tier side Andorra where he made 40 appearances and scored six goals.

"I'm so happy to sign for Rangers. I know it's a big club with great, great fans," Kim said.

"I want to help the team to be better every day, to be a good person, and to do everything I can to help the team win everything that comes our way.

"I have a lot of excitement and I believe I have the mentality of a winner. I want to face whatever comes next head-on and I'm going to give the club what it deserves."

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Pride, prestige and plenty of cash are on the line for Rangers tonight as they bid to join Hearts in the Conference League proper.

Derek McInnes' side have little room for error with a slender 1-0 lead over Jablonec in the play-off second leg in the Czech Republic.

Rangers are in the last chance saloon for European football this season - so what would the reaction be if they exit?

"Thermonuclear, I think would be the only phrase for it," says The Herald football writer Stephen McGowan.

"It's funny because Thursdays used to be the happy place for Rangers. The Europa League was where they went to relieve their stress, because even when things were going bad domestically, they could generally rely on European football to give them a pick-me-up.

"But that hasn't really been the case recently. It was a big blow to go out the Europa League play-off. And now, of course, they have that same pressure again.

"And it's not just a blow to the finances of a team who have spent a lot of money this summer if they go out and don't have any European football. It's prestige.

"Having no European football might arguably be good for Rangers' chance of winning domestic trophies, but it's not good for the club."

Listen to a preview of Rangers' Euro task on the BBC's Scottish football podcast

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Rangers have agreed a deal to sign Portland Timbers' Venezuela forward Kevin Kelsy, 22. (Athletic - subscription required, external)

Two Serie A clubs have bid for Rangers winger Djeidi Gassama, 22. (Footmercato - in French, external)

Bologna and Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson was willing to sign for Rangers this summer, according to his father Derek. (Glasgow Times, external)

Read the rest of Thursday's Scottish gossip.

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Goalkeeper Ivor Pandur has urged Rangers to leave nothing to chance in the Czech Republic as he looks to fulfil his ambition of playing European football.

The Croat, who moved to Ibrox from Hull this summer, has only experienced qualifiers in his career but stands on the brink of the Conference League proper as Rangers take a 1-0 first-leg lead to Jablonec.

"It's a big goal of mine and part of why I joined Rangers. It's the goal we want to pursue and I think we are all ready for it," said the 26-year-old.

"We can't wait to go out and put on a performance that we will be proud of.

"It's really big game and I think these moments just bring the best out of everybody. We are fighting for something big, and I think we are all up for it.

"We came here to try to dominate the game, not to survive necessarily so the focus is on that.

"The pressure will always be there and it should be because it's a massive club. Expectations should be there and we need to answer to that, all of us."

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland in Jablonec

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Rangers manager Derek McInnes has addressed the media before Thursday's Conference League play-off second leg at Jablonec, with the Ibrox side holding a 1-0 lead.

Here are the key points:

• Defender Ben Godfrey has been added to the squad after injury but Belgium midfielder Nico Raskin has not travelled because of a potential transfer away from the club.

• Interest in Raskin has "stepped up" in the past couple of days and McInnes says "something may or may not happen" but he is prepared to be with or without the player beyond the current transfer window.

• Rangers are close to signing winger Kim Min-su from Girona but are not in a position to announce a deal yet. McInnes says the club are "close to certainly doing one".

• The manager explains the Ibrox outfit are "still working on one or two other things" transfer-wise.

• McInnes believes it's been beneficial not to have a game since the first leg, with Rangers having had a free weekend. The manager has valued the time on the training ground and is hopeful it translates into better performances.

• McInnes admits it is so important to get through the tie, with European football so important to Rangers financially and in terms of "prestige".

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

This despatch comes on the journey from Celtic's debacle in Linz to the Czech Republic, where Rangers will hope a more positive European experience awaits.

There will be Rangers supporters revelling in Celtic's downfall last night but they will surely be wary their own nightmare scenario could yet unfold, with the prospect of no European football whatsoever still a possibility.

If they turn in another performance like the first leg against Jablonec they will struggle to get the job done, though Derek McInnes will hope his players can find several more levels to help Rangers secure passage to the league stage of the Conference League.

The alternative is unthinkable for a club that has spent tens of millions of pounds over the past year, though the prize money available in this third-tier competition will not scratch the surface in terms of recouping some of that outlay.

Rather it is for reasons of self-respect that Rangers cannot afford to fail at this stage. Jablonec are not of a standard that should cause the Glasgow side any real issues, yet the slender advantage they take to the Czech Republic does not make for a comfortable evening.

Nonetheless, after an extremely sticky start to his tenure, McInnes' Rangers are looking for a third consecutive win and if they can successfully negotiate this tie, that should breed further confidence before a tricky-looking game at Aberdeen on Sunday.

Already five points off the pace in the Premiership, Rangers can ill-afford any further slip-ups in the league, but first they have to take care of business in Europe before turning their attentions back to domestic issues.

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Girona winger Kim Min-Su is set to become Rangers' 12th new summer arrival - but is the Ibrox squad good enough to wrest the title from Celtic?

Former striker Rory Loy is far from convinced.

"Lots of promise and lots of underwhelming performances, which has been the story of the last few seasons," Loy said on the BBC's Scottish football podcast.

"I did think there would be more of an edge to Rangers under Derek McInnes.

"Now that may come. Not enough to topple Celtic in my opinion but I think it will come to a degree.

"I think he will instil a much stronger, tougher mentality than previous managers who have really struggled with that.

"McInnes has a track record of doing it. I know people will say it's a different beast being at Rangers, but I think he will rise to the demand and the expectation.

"However, unfortunately for him, you're judged against your city rivals and I don't think his squad at this moment in time bears any resemblance to a team that could go and win a championship."

Rangers are tracking both Portland Timbers striker Kevin Kelsy and Lens forward Rayan Fofana, while manager Derek McInnes is keen to recruit Kim Min-Su and another winger before the window closes. (Daily Record, external)

Read the rest of Tuesday's Scottish gossip.

Bayer Leverkusen lead the race to sign Rangers' Nigeria defender Emmanuel Fernandez, 25. (Fussballdaten in German, external)

Monday's Scottish gossip

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Rangers have received initial approaches from England, Italy and Spain regarding Nico Raskin and will allow the Belgium midfielder, who has two years left on his contract, to leave if their valuation is met. Rangers Review - subscription required, external

Celtic have offered £7.7m for Frosinone winger Fares Ghedjemis, who is also being courted by Rangers, Monaco and Besiktas. Murat Ozen on X, external

PSV Eindhoven have agreed to sell winger Couhaib Driouech to Celta Vigo after his proposed switch to Rangers fell through. Jeroen Kapteijns on X, external

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Kosta Nedeljkovic does not feel under pressure playing in the right-back position former Ibrox captain James Tavernier made his own for 11 years. In fact, it appears the new arrival is relishing it.

The 20-year-old joined Rangers on loan from Aston Villa on Wednesday and made his debut the following day as a substitute in the 1-0 home win against Jablonec in their Conference League play-off first leg.

"Ibrox is one of the famous and most popular stadiums in the world, so it's a big desire to play here, it was an amazing atmosphere, so I'm very happy to make my debut for this amazing club and we are going step-by-step," Serbia international Nedeljkovic said.

The defender says he's come to Rangers "to fight for the title", and was sold on the move by boss Derek McInnes and international team-mate Vanja Dragojevic, who has also joined Rangers this summer.

"When I spoke with the manager, I made this decision because I think we play football how I want to play, with attacking, with transitions," Nedeljkovic explained.

"Rangers is a big club, I can progress here. I want to play for the club who is always, every game, attacking, so for me this is very important."

And he admits he'll look to the club's former skipper for inspiration in that department, while of course carrying out his defensive duties.

"Everyone knows who James Tavernier is, I know he was the captain here, so I'm not feeling the pressure because I just focus on myself, but how he played," Nedeljkovic added.

"This style of football I really like, so I want to dominate defensively, but also to have a lot of assistant goals, so I want to be like him in the final third. This style of football was amazing."

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Rangers could turn to Lens striker Rayan Fofana, 20, as a short-term loan replacement for the injured Youssef Chermiti. Scottish Sun, external

Rangers are edging closer to an agreement to sign Girona winger Kim Min-Su, triggering a £8.5m release fee for the 20-year-old South Korea international and booking a medical for Monday. Daily Record, external

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Ryan Naderi believes Rangers are "going in the right direction" despite an unconvincing display against Jablonec in their Conference League play-off first leg.

German striker Naderi, 23, scored Rangers' only goal at Ibrox, his second in as many games, to give Derek McInnes' side a slender lead over the Czechs before Thursday's away leg.

It was a second straight victory after McInnes' tenure had begun with two defeats and two draws.

"We're here to play for the qualifying for European competition, so obviously the opponent is tough," Naderi said.

"I agree that the first half wasn't amazing but I'm happy we kept a clean sheet. That was really important.

"We had opportunities to score one, two goals more, but at the end, it's just about keeping up the confidence. Second win in a row and just keep going, stay focused, and I think that's important.

"Not everything was horrible in the games before. It's just that we managed to win games now.

"But it's still progress we're going through, and we still have to improve, and I think we're going in the right direction."

Naderi's strike came early in the second half, and although he admits it wasn't "the most spectacular" of goals, he says the win was most important thing.

"I'm just happy that I somehow put it over the line," he said. "That's what a striker has to do and I'm just happy to help the team.

"With Youssef [Chermiti injured] we miss a unique type of player but we have to try as a team to fill the gap and obviously someone has to score the goals.

"I'm lucky to be the one who, at the moment, gets the ball over the line but it's the whole team who has to fill this gap."

Rangers have opted to take this Scottish Premiership weekend off before the trip to the Czech Republic.

"I'll have family there," Naderi told the visiting reporters in perfect Czech.

"My mum is from the Czech Republic and my grandma lives there. When I was a student I used to go on holiday there.

"It's a nice match. I'll definitely enjoy it. The match is as much important to us as any other match."

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Steven Thompson on BBC Sportsound

Cammy Devlin's challenge was absolutely inexplicable but Rangers managed the game with 10 men.

I think Rangers can definitely score in the Czech Republic and if they do their defensive duties properly I don't see Jablonec causing them too many promblems.

But it's away in Europe and Jablonec will throw more at Rangers so they'll have to defend a lot more dangerous situations than they did at Ibrox.

I think the Czechs will be quietly pleased with a 1-0 defeat - they'll fancy themselves because the Rangers performance won't have filled them with fear.

Andy Halliday on BBC Sportsound

I think Derek McInnes will be delighted with the clean sheet and there looked fairly comfortable.

They defended well, but other than that 20-minute spell at the start of the second half, I thought it was a really poor performance.

What Devlin is doing, I cannot comprehend it. They can have no complaints about the red card.

Scott Allan on BBC Scottish football podcast

I don't think Jablonec are a fantastic side. The onus will be on them to take the game to Rangers at home, try get back into the tie, and McInnes will look to exploit that with the bit of quality out wide in Daisuke Yokota and the pace of Djeidi Gassama.

It's a game where Rangers should be able to dominate possession, even though it's an away tie in Europe. Rangers have to try to win that game from the get-go.