da fezbet: Glasgow Rangers easily made their way through to the next round of the SFA Cup with a comfortable 5-0 win over League Two side Annan Athletic on Friday night.
da betcris: A Bojan Miovski hat-trick was the headline from the five goals that were scored, although Thelo Aasgaard scored the pick of the bunch with a sublime free-kick from distance.
This match provided head coach Danny Rohl with an opportunity to hand minutes to some of the fringe and young players in the squad, whilst giving players like Miovski a confidence boost.
Joe Rothwell was one of the players who was given his first start in quite some time, starting at the base of the midfield, but he should still be sold by the Gers before the end of the January transfer window.
Why Rangers should sell Joe Rothwell
Ultimately, Rangers were expected to stroll past Annan, and they did. Rothwell, who assisted Kieran Dowell’s goal, did not do anything extraordinary, for better or for worse.
It was a composed but unspectacular performance from the English midfielder, who joined from Bournemouth last summer, and it was not enough to save his career at Ibrox.
The Daily Record reported on Friday afternoon that the experienced central midfielder has been transfer-listed by the Gers, which is the right call by the Scottish giants.
Rothwell’s last minutes and start in the Scottish Premiership came against Dundee United in October, the game before Rohl officially took charge, per Sofascore, which illustrates just how out of favour he has been.
Connor Barron’s injury, though, presented him with an opportunity to play against Annan, with new signing Tochi Chukwuani coming off the bench for him in the second half.
The star Rangers should sign to replace Joe Rothwell
Whilst Rothwell is currently needed as a back-up because of Barron’s injury, Rohl could finally part ways with the English flop by dipping back into the market to sign another midfield option.
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It was reported earlier this month that Rangers are one of the clubs pushing to sign Danish youngster Silas Andersen from Hacken in the January transfer window.
The 21-year-old star, who is valued at almost £9m (£8.6m), is another number six option who can play the role that Rothwell is a natural in, which would send him even further down the pecking order.
Signing Andersen would leave Rohl with Andersen, Chukwuani, Nico Raskin, Connor Barron, and Mohamed Diomande in the midfield positions, leaving no need for Rothwell to be kept at Ibrox, even as a back-up.
The Hacken star, who was described as “relentless” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, is an impressive young talent who could come in as an exciting signing for the Light Blues if they are able to get a deal over the line for his services before the end of the window.
2025 Allsvenskan
Andersen
Rank vs CMs
Chances created
26
Top 1%
Assists
2
Top 1%
Successful dribbles
25
Top 1%
Touches
2,379
Top 1%
Tackles won
84
Top 1%
Duels won
192
Top 1%
Ball recoveries
181
Top 1%
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, Andersen is a well-rounded midfielder who is as good offensively and in possession as he is defensively and physically.
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He ranked as the best midfielder in the Allsvenskan in the 2025 season in a host of key metrics on and off the ball, which shows that he can be influential on the pitch in a variety of ways.
That suggests that he could be a very valuable player for Rohl because he can be used in a host of different environments. For example, he has the defensive skills to be important to keeping hold of a lead, but he also has the ability on the ball to make things happen if the team need a goal.
Therefore, Andersen could be a worthwhile signing both because of how it would allow the club to finally part ways with Rothwell and because of the genuine quality at both ends of the pitch that he could provide.
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