The Glasgow Rangers officially confirmed last week that the first signature from the Russell Martin era announced Max Aaron as the latest arrival.
The right-back was his second signature in the summer after Liall Cameron, who joined an in-season loan from Bournemouth to bolster manager options with the right-back and agreed to join in January.
Martin has never managed him before, but the former England U21 International is a player he is well known to him as a player with whom his manager is with him in Norwich City, England.
The boss told the Rangers website: “Max has always been a player who has been keenly looking, as he emerged through the ranks of young people while coming to Norwich as a player.
The English fullback is looking to kick on after a difficult few years after Norwich in 2023 and return to his best on the pitch.
Why Max Aaron is a dangerous signature for the Ranger
On the other hand, this is a relatively low-risk signature for Light Blues in the sense that he is being loaned out for the season only and is not obligated to make it permanent next summer.
This means that GERS has not wasted millions of pounds in long-term deals if Aaron isn’t struggling to make grades in Glasgow.
Meanwhile, the dangerous signature that will sign Martin through the lens of the upcoming season. Because the way the last two years have done for the defender suggests there is no guarantee that he will succeed.
Aaron missed 17 games due to injuries and has only played 31 times in all competitions since the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
This shows that the Rangers have brought a fullback who has never played much football in the last two years, but while suffering from injuries, his last two successful seasons appeared in Norwich’s campaigns on 2018/19 and 2020/21.
Max Aaron’s title winning form | ||
---|---|---|
Championship | 18/19 | 20/21 |
start | 41 | 45 |
the goal | 2 | 2 |
A big opportunity has been created | 6 | 5 |
assist | 6 | 2 |
A beautiful sheet | 11 | 17 |
Tackle + Intercept per game | 2.7 | 1.6 |
Dueling success rate | 58% | 53% |
Statistics via Sofascore |
As you can see from the table above, Aaron showed that he didn’t own his quality right at the Canary right back in his two title-winning season in the Championship, but it’s been years since his success.
This is why the 25-year-old gem is a risky signature with next season in mind, despite the potential to become a key player, considering how long it has been since his last successful campaign.
Rangers discuss to sign English defenders
However, the Rangers will also see another defender from England, arrive with less risk and will be a better signing for Martin.
Daily records show that a talk is still underway between the Scottish Premiership Giants and Championship Side Leicester City about his contract with Connor Cody.
The report claims Andrew Cabenagh and 49ers Enterprises invested £20 million to bolster the club’s budget for the summer transfer period, but it remains to be seen how much of that budget will become bored with the former England international move.
Coady’s current contract with King Power is expected to expire in the summer of 2026, and ongoing consultations suggest that Fox will not allow a free transfer earlier than expected.
It remains to be seen whether Ibrox will be able to reach an agreement with Leicester this summer.
Why Conor Cody is a better signing than Max Aaron
If the Rangers can sign a contract for Cody in the coming days or weeks, they will have an even better signing than Aaron for defense.
As mentioned before, he is a bit part player for Bournemouth and has been several years since he won a successful loan-on-loan season with Valencia over the past two years.
However, Coady played 22 times in Leicester’s Premier League last season, helping the Fox secure the championship title the previous semester.
In the 2023/24 campaign, the veteran central defender showed off his impressive quality, owned on the ball-dominated Enzo Maresca side of the UK’s second tier.
23/24 Championship | About Conor Coady 90 | Percentile Rank vs CBS |
---|---|---|
The pass is complete | 84.99 | Top 5% |
Accuracy | 93% | Top 1% |
Progressive Pass | 7.20 | Top 1% |
Move to the last third | 7.20 | Top 2% |
More than that | 0.05 | Top 16% |
Progressive passing distance | 556 yards | Top 3% |
Through the ball | 0.26 | Top 2% |
Statistics via FBREF |
As you can see at the table above, the 32-year-old Titan was one of the best, if not the best, in moving the ball through a third to build offensive for his team.
These statistics suggest that Cody, praised as an “immature expert” by former manager Sean Dish, is a perfect fit for Martin’s style of play.
These performances were also on the 2023/24 campaign. This means that unlike Aaron, he has had a demonstrable success on the pitch in recent seasons, but the centre-back completed 91% of Fox’s Premier League passes last season.
At 32, Cody has arrived as an experienced and proven performer who can hit the ground running around the pitch as the leader of the Light Blues.
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