The Impact of Nedim Bajrami on Rangers’ Midfield
When Albania scored within the first minute at the Euros against Italy, everyone was talking about Nedim Bajrami and the quality of the goal. There wouldn’t have been a single Rangers fan out there that would’ve anticipated that he would’ve ended up at Ibrox before the end of the transfer window. The goal was so widely spoken about because it was the quickest goal in Euro’s history at 23 seconds. Secondary to that, it was also a beautiful finish, smashed into the roof of the net.
Despite the best efforts of the Albanian international and his team mates, his former club Sassuolo were relegated from the Serie A last season. He spent the summer at Euro 2024, then went back to Reggio Emilia to begin the Serie B season. However, late in the window Rangers made their move for the 25-year-old and finally secured his signature on deadline day as he headed off for the international break. Rangers’ fans had to wait until the 15th September to see the man himself in action. He replaced Óscar Cortés and played the second half against Dundee United in a 1-0 win.
He had a couple of nice touches and looked sharp but it wasn’t a game he got to make a big impact on. He then started in the League Cup against Dundee and fans got to see a bit more of what he was about. Despite fans thinking he was coming in to be a number ten, he’s played most of his minutes off of the left. That’s where he started against Dundee and he got a beautiful assist for Cyriel Dessers with an early, whipped cross on his ‘weaker’ left foot. It wasn’t until the next game, away in Malmö, where he really showed supporters of the club what he was capable of.
It took him less than a minute to get on the scoresheet, after a poor back pass, Cyriel Dessers rounded the goalkeeper but could only hit the post. Thankfully, Bajrami was on hand for a simple tap in to put Rangers 1-0 up. He was a constant, creative threat from the left-hand side.
Photo: FotMob
Four big chances created in a European away game is absolutely incredible and it’s a travesty he didn’t register an assist that night. 15 percent of his passes were ‘Big chances created’ which, when you really think about it, is absurd. On top of the creative masterclass he put on, he was also the most fouled player on the pitch (3) and registered eight recoveries. It was an all-round performance in which he was given man of the match and showed what he could be capable of in a Rangers jersey.
Fast forward a week and Rangers played Lyon at a packed Ibrox Stadium in a game that unfortunately ended in a 4-1 defeat. Nedim Bajrami was the only player who looked even remotely close to the level of the Rangers opponents as Lyon strolled to victory. Playing off of the left-hand side, again, he was a constant creative threat and created three chances.
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On top of that, his dribble success was 100% as he completed seven out of seven attempts. He stood out in what was a disappointing Rangers display and, again, showed fans he could be a real key player for the club going forward. He’s yet to register a goal or assist in three appearances (174) minutes domestically but let’s take a look at his numbers over those two Europa League starts (data via FotMob):
- 1 Goal (0.55 Per90)
- 85.5% Pass Accuracy
- 83.3% Long Ball Accuracy
- 3.82 Chances Created Per90
- 77.8% Dribble Success Per90 (3.82 Successful Dribbles Per90)
- Fouled 1.64 Times Per90
- 8.18 Recoveries Per90
- 3.27 Possessions Won in The Final 3rd
Considering the opposition was away to the Swedish league leaders and at home to a Lyon side that spent around €150m, those are very impressive numbers. In Europe he’s looked a different level to what he has domestically, so far, at least.
You can tell that there’s real quality there in Nedim Bajrami and he’s proven that both at the Euros for Albania and in the Europa League for Rangers. Once he gets going domestically, he’s going to be the key piece in Rangers attacking threat and the other forward players should thrive off of that. Fans expected him to be the number ten coming in but he’s looked more effective off of the left with Jefté being able to bomb on ahead of him.
Time will tell whether he sticks to the left or becomes that central threat as the main number ten, for now though, he’s the most creative player and one of the most in form players at Rangers, long may it continue.
By: Kai Watson / @KaiGWatson
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Jonathan Moscrop / Getty Images