Rangers’ Director of Football Recruitment, Nils Koppen, has confirmed that the club made a serious attempt to secure the services of winger Abdallah Sima from Brighton last summer.
The 23-year-old, who impressed the Ibrox support and manager Philippe Clement during his previous loan spell in the Scottish Premiership, faced challenges due to injuries. After returning to Brighton in search of a fresh start in the English Premier League, Sima found himself sidelined under new manager Fabian Hurzeler and subsequently transferred to Ligue 1 side Stade Brest.
Koppen revealed that Rangers proposed a deal to bring the Senegal international back to Glasgow, similar to the one that secured Oscar Cortes from Lens. “The impression was that we weren’t going to go back for Sima, but that’s not the case,” he told the Rangers Review. “We made an effort to bring Sima back to Glasgow permanently with a good offer, a higher fee than the one we agreed for Oscar Cortes. We tried to convince the player and the agent, but the numbers were unrealistic, so we pushed back on it.”
Despite Sima’s absence, Koppen remains optimistic about the potential of Cortes, who has unfortunately faced his own injury challenges. “Oscar came in with a blank injury record. No injuries, no scans, everything was perfect. We’re looking into it as a club. I’m still confident in the move to bring him here. We signed him on a five-year deal and still believe in his potential over a longer period.”
Additionally, Rangers were interested in bringing in Panamanian international Jose Cordoba as a center-back. However, he opted for a £3 million move to Norwich City instead. Reflecting on this missed opportunity, Koppen commented, “A lot of work had been done and we got to a point where everything was agreed. The player was here in Glasgow and attended a game, but we didn’t really feel that passion to come and play for Rangers.”