It's no secret to say that Rangers have had some howlers in the transfer market over the previous few years, from signing players who haven’t quite made the grade at the club, to letting young talents go for peanuts who have gone on to thrive elsewhere.
The newest member of the latter club is Malcolm Ebiowei, who Rangers let go for absolutely nothing in the summer of 2021.
The 18-year-old joined Rangers from Arsenal in 2020, stating that he was “delighted” to join the Glasgow club and making clear his desire to work with then-manager Steven Gerrard.
It didn’t work out for him at Ibrox but he has exploded into life since his move to Derby last year, featuring for the Rams in 15 English Championship matches and scoring once, although the team were recently relegated to League One.
Working under Wayne Rooney seems to have brought out the best in the teenage forward and it looks like he has a bright future in the game, especially following his recent performances.
His average rating of 6.89 on WhoScored is the third highest in the Derby squad, not bad considering that Curtis Davies, who is deemed their top performer, has played three times as many matches.
Derby coach Justin Walker stated that the youngster “gets people out of their seats” following a solid performance against Bristol City last month, and this is high praise for Ebiowei.
It looks like Rangers have made a big mistake in letting him Ibrox and this could come back to haunt them in a similar vein to Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour, who left the Light Blues for a cut-price fee in 2017 and has since gone on to excel at a high level.
There are some fantastic prospects in the Gers academy, but letting go of Ebiowei for nothing could hurt over the next few years.