Rangers transfer update: Who is Djeidi Gassama? With Joe Crann from The Star.

The Scotsman

Rangers have been extremely active in the transfer window over the last fortnight, and look set to add Sheffield Wednesday winger Djeidi Gassama to their squad in the coming days.  To get the lowdown on what Rangers are getting in the 21-year-old, we invited Joe Crann from our sister publication The Star to tell us everything about him, new Rangers goalkeeping coach Sal Bibbo and a rumoured return for ex-Ibrox midfielder Josh Windass.  #RangersFC

Transcript

00:00Hello and welcome back to the Scotsman Football Show as the wheels begin to turn for several

00:08Scottish Premiership clubs in the transfer window. One club in particular have been

00:13extremely busy this summer in the shape of Rangers with a takeover, the appointment of

00:17Russell Martin and no less than six arrivals at least at the time of speaking. But look,

00:21the IBOX rebuild shows no signs of slowing down either and Sheffield Wednesday winger

00:27Jeddy Gassama looks set to sign for the club on a long-term contract in the coming days or

00:32potentially even the coming hours. He's obviously going to be new to the Scottish Premiership,

00:36so we thought we'd walk in a Yorkshireman and Sheffield Wednesday journalist from our sister

00:40paper to start, Joe Crane, to get the lowdown on what Rangers can expect from their new recruit.

00:45But Joe, really quiet down at Sheffield Wednesday, nothing much has happened. How much have you

00:49enjoyed your summer off? Yeah, it's been lovely, you know, really had a lovely break. There's not

00:54really been much to write about. I've been sunning myself, just having a lovely time. It's been

00:57fantastic. And yeah, looks like it's all going to, you know, carry on that way as well. Definitely

01:02nothing to report here. Yeah, let me for some. Look, on a serious note, it seems like it's been

01:08hectic down at Hillsborough, rumours of a takeover, which I think is long overdue, late wages and sort

01:13of everything in between. Look, it's a podcast on its own. But what has ultimately led to is Rangers A

01:18taking one of Wednesday's coaches already and potentially two players from the squad. But before we discuss

01:23sunning the abilities of like the players and the coaches that have been brought in, how

01:27desperate are Wednesday for players to move on this summer? And also how smart is it for

01:31Russell Martin and Rangers to kind of target players from Sheffield Wednesday?

01:35Yeah, I mean, look, it's absolute carnage over at Wednesday at the moment. I've been in this

01:41industry, you know, 15 years now, and I've never covered anything like this, not to this

01:47extent. Even chatting to different people who've been involved in similar situations over at

01:52Reading and things like that. Like Wednesday have got the embargoed three times. They have

01:58got a three window fee restriction. They've not paid some people for two months now. And

02:02you know, there's the staff members, not just players who are who are not being paid. And

02:06there's just like there's just so much wrong with Sheffield Wednesday at the moment. It's

02:11on every single level. And I think that, you know, a lot of people were expecting to lose

02:16players like Jeddy Osama for that reason, you know, that he's a he's a player with, you know,

02:22undoubted raw ability with a very, in my opinion, a very high ceiling. And I think, you know, Rangers

02:29are, well, are one of the clubs that are interested. And obviously, they've been quick off the mark,

02:38by the looks of it. And there's Anthony Masabi, who's probably going to head off to Turkey. But

02:43even at youth level, we're not safe because Wednesday need the money. You know, clubs know

02:48that. So they know that they can come in with offers that are befitting of Sheffield Wednesday's

02:52current situation. We've got Kaelin Cole Kadamatri, who's a 15 year old who's going to, who's going to

02:57head off to Manchester City. Satura Kakai, who's going to end up at Southampton. There's another young

03:02lad who's got one of the best names in football, Romario Collins. Looks like he'll be going off to Man City as well.

03:08And they're all from the Youth Academy saying Masabi is going to Turkey by the looks of it.

03:12And yeah, with Jerry Gassama, he was, I wouldn't say the crown jewel in Sheffield Wednesday season

03:20last year, but he was the main breakout star. And I think a lot of Wednesday fans are disappointed

03:26at the manner of which he's left, not from Jerry's perspective by any stretch of the imagination,

03:32but in terms of the fact that Wednesday will not get what Jerry Gassama is worth.

03:37And that is because of things that are well above him and the football side of things.

03:43I feel like I'm asking a silly question here, but look, barring any last minute hitches,

03:47it looks like Gassama's going to join Rangers. How surprised are you by Rangers' interest in

03:52the player? It's not necessarily always a market where Rangers will shop in Sheffield Wednesday,

03:56so it kind of came out of the blue, didn't it, overnight almost?

04:00Yeah, it's a weird one. Obviously, I mean, you know what it's like in these transfer situations.

04:06I was told first of Rangers' interest in Jedi, I think maybe three nights ago, and it took me a

04:13little while to get to the bottom of it. Because obviously we can't, if I reported every little bit

04:18that I hear, you know, I'd be writing 50 stories a day at this point. But yeah, it took me a little

04:24bit of time to get to the bottom of it and it be in genuine interest. And I think that, you know,

04:31there's obviously Russell Martin knows English football very well as well. So I think, you know,

04:37there's that market that I'm sure he'll be delving into a fair bit more over the next little while

04:42while he's manager. And it feels like with Jedi Gassama that, I'll be honest, I would be surprised

04:50if there was a single team in the Championship that wasn't aware of Jedi Gassama's situation and

04:56the fact that he was available for what he was available for. We don't know a transfer fee yet.

05:02It's been rumoured of about £2.5 million. I would imagine, given the scenario that Wednesday

05:06find themselves in at the moment, that that will be the most undisclosed fee you've ever seen in your

05:10life. So yeah, I'm not sure we'll ever get a, especially not from Wednesday, they don't announce

05:18fees anyway. But yeah, that one will be kept very, very much hush-hush. I wouldn't say I'm surprised

05:25because I think, you know, obviously Rangers will always be looking in the market to get, you know,

05:30young players that have got a high ceiling with, you know, a lot of growth. And look, I wouldn't

05:38be surprised, you know, you don't know the future, obviously, but I wouldn't be surprised to see

05:43Rangers sell Jedi Gassama on and make a pretty handsome profit at some point in the next few years.

05:48It feels like that's the kind of signing that Rangers have planned to go for. There's only been that

05:52sort of Calvin Bassies, maybe Joe Reebok to a lesser extent over the past few years, and there's

05:55definitely younger players with resale value, which seems to be the way clubs have to operate

05:59these days. But look, he's a player that when I've seen him, which has been nowhere near as much as

06:03you, he's young, he's pacey, but he's definitely raw. Where is he in his development in your opinion?

06:10Because he's only 21, I think.

06:12Yeah, I think he's got a long way to go. And I don't mean that in a negative way. I think he's got

06:16like a lot of growth in him. He's very dynamic. He's very direct. You know, you'll see him have

06:24games where he's not really in it. That happens. You know, he's a 21 year old kid, you know, especially

06:31now having moved to a new club, he's going to have that sort of bedded in period again. The Scottish

06:35game is different to the UK one, but to the English one. But I do think that there is, I think he'll have

06:43a lot of fun. I think the way that he plays, I think there will be a lot of full backs in Scotland

06:49who are not having a very nice time against him next season. But like I say, I think there is a

06:54lot of room for growth. His decision making sometimes a little bit off, maybe shoots when he should pass

06:59and vice versa. But there is the shoots that we saw from him last year in terms of his growth. Look,

07:09his debut season in English football at 20 was good, you know, to come in and impact the team the

07:16way that he did at such a young age was impressive. But he really kicked on last season. Last season was

07:24a real breakout for him. And he's a player that because of the way that he plays, because he's a,

07:32you know, he gets bummed off seats and that kind of thing. It's something that Wednesday have been

07:37lacking for quite a while. You know, you have to go back quite a few years to find players

07:41that really got fans excited. And I think that Jeddy, because of his tricks, because of his speed,

07:50because of his, I keep going back to it, because of the potential he has, he was the sort of player

07:55that fans were excited about. So, yeah, I think Rangers fans can have really good reason to be

08:02excited about this one. Yeah, and I think that that's quite interesting to hear, because I think

08:07there's been a lot of chat about Russell Martin's philosophy, which I think everyone knows about.

08:10He's talked about it at length, and I think some people have raised concerns that it might be too

08:14slow, it might be too passive. Ultimately, if he wins games, I don't think it really matters.

08:18But Rangers fans like players that get bummed off seats. I think most of us do. And he definitely

08:22sounds like the kind of player that will go up there and sort of relish the challenge. And it's also

08:27sort of European football, which is another step up for him as well, isn't it?

08:30Yeah, yeah. Look, Rangers is a massive shop window. Not to sort of talk of Rangers as a

08:37selling club or anything like that, but they are a huge club. And the following that they have,

08:45the pressures that come with it, I think, is the sort of atmosphere that can make or break a

08:50footballer. How many times have we seen it over the years with these big clubs? You go there and you

08:55either blossom or you shrivel. And I think that will be a big part of where Jeddy's at in terms

09:03of his next step. But I think there's a lot that can be said for the way that he took to English

09:08football from, you know, stepping up from effectively the youth side at PSG. He'd been in and around the

09:13first team, but not a great deal. So I think he showed that he's got the mentality for it. I think

09:19he's also a really nice kid as well, you know, which, look, it doesn't make a difference in terms

09:26of your football and ability, but it's nice. It's always nice to have someone that's a, you know,

09:30a good egg as well. So, yeah, I think that there will be a lot, there will be a lot expected from

09:36him because he is, I think it was the same when he joined Wednesday, because he came from PSG, like

09:41he played with Messi and stuff and the little things like that, they do help with the narrative of it all.

09:46So I think there will be a lot expected of him. But I think if there's a bit of patience and because

09:53of how dynamic he can be, like I say, I think he is the sort of player that Rangers fans can look

09:59forward to seeing in a Rangers shirt. I think we talked about Russell Martin's philosophy before

10:03and I think it's been classed as ultra possession, which I quite like because it's kind of,

10:08it rounds everything off quite nicely in two words rather than going in depth. But I think one big

10:11thing with Russell Martin's team that I've seen over the years with Southampton, with MK Dons,

10:15which, you know, being a Sunderland fan, I've actually seen sort of probably more for some

10:19more than I maybe even wanted to at some point. But his width is a big, big thing. You look at

10:24like your Southampton promotion team, he had the likes of Adozi on the wing, who was a massive player

10:29for him. Where do you see him fitting into Martin's philosophy and, well, where do you see Gasama

10:35fitting into that wing, that width philosophy that he has in a possession-based style that he implements?

10:40Well, I mean, he loves to run at people and he'll definitely get wide and take on those roles very

10:47well. It's something that we've seen a lot of at Wednesday. We've seen him on both wings as well.

10:52So him and Anthony Masaba kind of alternated a little bit. He's got a good strike on him as well.

10:59You know, I'm sure people have watched his clips back and stuff because that's the age we live in now.

11:04You don't waste any time in doing that. And yeah, he scored some really good goals for Wednesday.

11:09You know, he's been in the right place at the right time, plenty of times, but he's also,

11:15you know, scored some proper worldies and he's got a lot of strings to his belt, should I say.

11:22And I think that because of that and because of the way that he's been able to play, look, with the

11:26way Danny Rearles' teams have played as well, you know, he's played in teams with the back three,

11:31he's played in teams with the back five, sorry, with the back four as well. So he's played in

11:36different formations. He's dropped back to play a little bit more defensively when he's needed to

11:41as well. You know, it'll come as no shock that that's not his game. I would be very surprised to

11:46see him playing as a fullback or a wingback in a Rangers team. But I do think he's shown that he's

11:54got that little bit of versatility. And if he's willing to grow, which, you know, he showed at Wednesday

11:59that he was, then I think there's a there's a lot of space for him to sort of increase on that

12:04versatility and do exactly what Russell Martin needs from him. I think before we move on completely,

12:10I'm sorry, we will move on completely. But looking at something you broke, I think this morning,

12:15a potential return for Josh Windas, which I think is interesting because, you know, a lot of fans,

12:19a lot of people who've seen him the first time will judge Josh Windas on maybe his first spell when

12:24I think he's a completely different character from what I've seen. He's a completely different player

12:28since his last spell. I really think he's matured. He's been a huge character, a huge player for

12:32Sheffield Wednesday. I think he's your record scorer over the past however many years or something to

12:37that extent. He's been a big player for Wednesday. Yeah, huge and turned up in big moments.

12:44How likely is he to stay at the club this year? Not necessarily go to the Rangers,

12:47but how likely is he to stay at Sheffield? Or is it a case of nobody's safe at Sheffield at the moment?

12:52Yeah, it's a very difficult situation because amongst all the other nonsense that's going on at

12:59Wednesday, we also have a position where, sorry, we're in a position where players have handed in

13:03a notice. You know, if they've been paid late for two months, they've handed in the notice,

13:08they could be available for free in a few weeks' time. You know, there's a lot of water that's

13:13got to flow under the bridge for that to happen. But I'm absolutely, you know, I'm not shocked at all that

13:18Rangers would be interested in. In Josh Windas, I think that he's another one, especially if he's

13:25available as a free, you know, you will find a lot worse signings than Josh. And I think he's a

13:32player, look, he's been a bit, I'd say maybe maligned at Wednesday by some elements of the fan base.

13:40I think he does sometimes rub people up the wrong way a little bit. But I mean, he's delivered. Josh has

13:46been one of the most important players in the Wednesday side for quite a while now. I think

13:53Wednesday missed him when he wasn't there. I think we saw in League One especially, he had some really,

14:02really big moments. And I think the return that he's had while playing for Wednesday

14:12is a lot better than what people give it credit for. I think Josh sometimes gets boxed off as a

14:19striker and he's not. He's been an attacking midfielder for a long time now. And I think that

14:26from his perspective, he is, yeah, he's kind of misjudged and people think he maybe should score more

14:35than he does. But I mean, if you look at his numbers, they are good, like they're very good

14:41for a player that plays in his position. As you mentioned earlier, I think he's one of only three

14:48players this side of the century to score 50 goals for Wednesday. And to do that as often a number 10

14:57or a winger is very good. He's a very good return.

15:00And obviously, potentially wouldn't be in the championship without him, I suppose, as well.

15:04But after that goal, it was that pretty big moment as well.

15:08And watch the live. Yep. Yep. But I think one thing with Josh, it's interesting you say that

15:14because he's been, I don't want to use the word outspoken, he's been himself, which I personally

15:18don't mind from my perspective, but obviously some people will. But he's definitely matured as a player

15:22since he's arrived at Wednesday. I know he had the little spell at Wigan after he left Rangers,

15:25but he's matured into more of like an experienced pro than maybe the young boy he was at Rangers, hasn't he?

15:31Oh yeah, Josh, Josh as a footballer, and he's so versatile and he's so,

15:38he's been so important. You know, it happened under Darren Moore, happened under Danny Earl,

15:42like Josh is such a vital cog in that machine. And the success that Wednesday had under Darren

15:49and getting promoted out of League One, Josh was a big part of it when he was fit and available.

15:54Obviously, last season, he was practically ever present. You know, he's a big part of

16:00of the good work that Wednesday have done. And especially in that great escape in the Championship,

16:07he was huge. And he scores great goals as well. You will see a few tappings from Josh, but you'll see

16:13plenty of the other stuff as well. He links up play so nicely. He's got great technique. And I think that he's,

16:21as you mentioned, I think he's matured a lot as a footballer. And I think you're spot on with,

16:28you know, you say that he's real and he's himself. And it's funny because you often find that in football

16:34these days, people are crying out for footballers to be themselves and to have a personality and to,

16:40you know, not be these media trained robots. And then sometimes you get players who do that. And then

16:45they're like, oh, what are they saying that for? It's like, pick one. What do you want? But Josh,

16:51you know, obviously, over the years covering Wednesday, Josh has been there practically the

16:56whole time that I've been covering the club. And, you know, we've had a few conversations over the

17:02years, you know, outside stadiums and things like that. And yeah, he's a good bloke, Josh. And I think that

17:10he might be one of those that is potentially remembered more fondly after he's gone, whenever

17:20that might be, than he is by some people now, which feels a shame because, you know, he deserves

17:25a lot more respect than he gets.

17:26Say that he does leave this summer and Rangers are one of those clubs that are interested as

17:32kind of has been reported this morning by yourself. Do you think he could potentially

17:36favour a move to Rangers because he sees it maybe is unfinished business? Because obviously

17:39he went at the start of the Gerrard ring when he kind of was getting the team. And I just think

17:43Gerrard didn't fancy him. I mean, I wasn't in the room. I didn't hear that conversation,

17:46but that's how it comes across. Goes to Wigan and matures at Sheffield Wednesday. Do you think

17:50maybe he'll see Rangers as unfinished business, which could potentially push them ahead of other clubs?

17:54Potentially. You know, I think Josh really enjoyed his time at Rangers. I seem to recall

18:02reading an article or seeing an interview where he spoke about sort of his regret at leaving when

18:08he did and that he wished he'd maybe done a little bit more at Rangers in terms of the time frame.

18:14It was my colleague, Alex Miller, who actually wrote the story on Josh. And, you know, he's one of

18:20many players. They're one of many teams that have shown an interest in him. And, you know,

18:25again, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest because if Josh Windness is available for a cut

18:31price fee or even as a free agent, if he, you know, if something was to happen with regards to

18:37player walkouts and stuff like that, which is, you know, we haven't been naming any of the players who

18:42have handed in their notices, but we gather there's quite a few. I would be not at all surprised if

18:50there's a pretty long queue of people lining up for Josh Windness. But I think the size of Rangers and

19:00that element of unfinished business, I think, yeah, there is something about that that could, you know,

19:06give them that bump up the queue if, you know, if a few people make actual offers and actually try

19:13and get something done. Lastly, before you go, I wanted to chew your ear off a little bit about

19:18the new Rangers goalkeeping coach, Sal Bibbo. I think I pronounced that correctly, but he left

19:23Wednesday for Rangers last week, came with huge recommendations from, I think, Bernd Leno and

19:28possibly more impressively, Emiliano Martinez, who we worked with at Arsenal, who spoke about his

19:32character, also his ability on the training pitch. It does seem, like I said,

19:36like a big character and a really well-liked one. What is it that Shiffle Wednesday have lost and

19:40in turn, what is it that Rangers have gained from appointing him?

19:43Yeah, look, we didn't really get much of a chance to, you know, to chat with Sal

19:50from a personal level, you know, I've not had many conversations with him, you know, a couple of

19:55hellos and that kind of thing, but that we've not had a chance to actually break down what he does and

20:00how he does it. But what we have heard is from James Beadle, who's just signed for Birmingham on

20:06on loan, from Piers Charles, from Cam Dawson, who's now at Rotherham. He is a very, very highly

20:14regarded goalkeeper coach and his sessions are meant to be very, very good. The way that he gets the,

20:21I suppose they call it a goalkeepers union, don't they, football clubs, the way he gets them all on

20:26the same page and has them in a space where they're, you know, the competitiveness is the right

20:31amount and they know where they're at in that sense. But yeah, I think, I think Reigns have

20:37got a really good goalkeeping coach there. Like, look, his recommendations speak for themselves to

20:42to have worked at a club like Arsenal. I think there was quite a few people when he came to Wednesday

20:48that thought, well, you've got to, you know, it's a bit of a coup this. But as with so much of Sheffield

20:55Wednesday, this point in time, things are falling apart a little bit. He left on a free, as did every

21:01other member of Danny Bills coaching staff, apart from Henry Pedersen, who just signed a new contract.

21:07And I think that Rangers have got a guy who, by all accounts, is a very good coach and also a very good

21:14bloke as well. Joe, I thank you very much because I know that you will be busy for the next however

21:19many months and weeks. But I guess good luck to yourself and also good luck to Sheffield for the

21:24season. Thanks for coming on. Cheers, Graham. All the best, mate.

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