Manager explains why £10m man’s Rangers move collapsed with failure ‘disappointing’.
Russell Martin, the former defender for the Rangers, has already had to face the press and give an explanation for why his move to Ibrox fell through. In the beginning of 2023, Martin playfully expressed his regret to the Rangers followers after the Scottish powerhouses were unable to get Morgan Whittaker from his Swansea City team. At the time, Rangers made many bids, one of which was for about £2 million. After just 18 months, Whittaker has developed into one of the most successful wide players in the country, breaking the 20-goal mark against Plymouth Argyle the previous season.
It remains to be seen if Sam Edozie can achieve such a high level of productivity. However, the potential of a former Manchester City teenager who signed a £10 million contract to join Martin’s current employers in 2022 cannot be questioned. Sam Edozie of Southampton was not approved for a loan to Rangers. Rangers made a desperate attempt to sign Edozie on a loan, but a deadline-day deal fell through at the last possible moment. Martin also finds himself pitying the former England Under 20 player a little bit. Since Martin acknowledges that Sam Amo-Ameyaw has surpassed Edozie in the pecking order for the time being, Edozie would have had far easier time obtaining first-team minutes north of the border.
“What frustrated me was how late it fell through, and it wasn’t on our end,” Martin tells the Daily Record when asked why that Rangers switch failed to materialise.
“It’s a bit unfair to Sam really. It’s a bit disappointing but it is what it is. Every club has their prerogative and their priorities in the transfer window. I was gutted for Sam because it was too late to then find another opportunity to go and play football.”
“He’ll get to work like everyone else now. Get his head down, work really hard and try and get himself into the squad and into the team.
“He wasn’t in it (against Brentford on Saturday) because of the speculation. But also because Sam Amo deserves to be in the squad more than he does right now.
“That’s my opinion and that won’t be everyone’s opinion. It definitely won’t be Sam Edozie’s. But unfortunately, I’m the guy who takes that hope or the opportunity of him playing away.
“It’s the hardest bit of the job. So we’ll have a chat. We had a couple of messages already and we’ll have a chat. He’ll be fine. He needs to find a way to get himself back into the group and really impact things.”
Rabbi Matondo sustains additional damage Last season, Edozie helped Southampton qualify for the Premier League again by scoring six goals and setting up three more. He was one of many left-wingers, including Josip Brekalo, who were connected to a Rangers team that lost both Abdallah Sima and Fabio Silva when their loan agreements expired. Rabbi Matondo had secured the role with two brilliant performances early in the season. However, in a setback that essentially sums up his Rangers career thus far, the Welsh wide player now appears destined to miss weeks of action due to an injury sustained during Sunday’s 3-0 Old Firm derby loss to Celtic.
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