Inside Jefte’s Rangers transfer: Koppen, PSV link and fee
Jefte joined Rangers from Fluminense this summer <i>(Image: SNS)</i>
Jefte joined Rangers from Fluminense this summer (Image: SNS)
It is rare that any new signing settles as quickly at Rangers as Jefte – especially given his age and the context of this summer.
Philippe Clement’s side are on the back of four wins and four clean sheets since that demoralising Old Firm defeat that opened September. Optimism is handed out cautiously by the Rangers support given the last couple of seasons, but with two home games on the horizon before the next international break there is the potential for this month to be one of progression. And Jefte is one of the protagonists of any good in the season so far.
When Ridvan Yilmaz went down clutching his thigh during a Champions League play-off defeat against Dynamo Kyiv in early August there was more than a hint of apprehension at the prospect of an untested left-back filling that slot for the foreseeable future.
Jefte has been a standout since arriving at Ibrox (Image: SNS)
And yet, alongside Connor Barron, who joined from Aberdeen for a yet-to-be-decided tribunal fee, Jefte has been the signing and best performer of the season so far. The 20-year-old’s showing against Hibs in a 1-0 win on Sunday featured more of what has excited supporters to date – pace, variation and direction.
This is the inside story of how Rangers landed the Brazilain left-back this summer after initially trying to bring him to Glasgow in January.
First impressions count and Jefte’s stood out, at a quiet Lublin Arena in Eastern Poland during the first leg of that Champions League qualifier against Kyiv. Coming on at half-time in place of Scott Wright as a left winger, he quickly demonstrated a blend of whipped crosses, darting runs and effective dribbles. As Clement’s side scored an important last-minute equaliser Jefte galloped forward in transition and picked a wide pass that would lead to Vaclav Cerny’s cross for Cyriel Dessers’ leveller, rather than simply hitting the penalty area. It helped that the South American celebrated with the type of outward passion that always endears a new player to the Rangers support.
Since, Jefte’s minutes have predominantly come at left-back following Ridvan’s latest injury setback. Some concerns amongst supporters in pre-season regarding defensive work haven’t materialised and Jefte’s ability to mix up his product in possession is making a significant difference. This is a player who is ready to make a big impact on the Rangers team now, and given his age, there’s scope for a big sale in the future.
While there’s a belief that Ridvan will prove a strong challenger for the left-back slot this season, the consistency of Jefte’s performances validates the work to bring him to Ibrox which stretched over several months.
Read more:
Inside Nils Koppen’s Rangers move: Beating competition, PSV buys and a new approach
Tom Lawrence’s No.10 role: Cantwell admission, evolving demands and an uptick
Why ‘big-space player’ Jefte represents a change in style and recruitment at Rangers
Rangers’ work to sign a left-back began in January when it materialised that Borna Barisic, who’d been at Ibrox since 2018, would leave upon the expiry of his deal in June. A product of the Fluminense youth academy, Rangers’ interest in Jefte can be traced back to the arrival of Nils Koppen as head of football recruitment late last year. It’s believed that Koppen was aware of the player from his time scouting in Brazil for previous club PSV – a key market for the Dutch outfit and one Koppen has worked in extensively. Having watched Jefte initially as a youth player, sources suggest that Koppen had pushed PSV to sign the left-back in the past.
One of the predominant reasons the then executive team moved to appoint Koppen was the desire to modify their recruitment department and adopt a new model, aiming to increase sporadic wins in the market. Overall, there’s been a push to bring down a wage bill that ran out of control and a squad that grew too old without sufficient buying and selling. Koppen was viewed as a figure with expertise of wider, underexploited markets that would decrease a reliance on shopping in England and present better value for Rangers. While Hamza Igamane’s identification process relied on data profiling of new leagues, video scouting and in-person work, Jefte was a player the Belgian had scouted personally.
The Ibrox side tried to bring Jefte to Ibrox in the January window, to provide depth at left-back and on the left wing. APOEL, the Cypriot champions, signed Jefte on loan with an option to buy in the summer of 2023. Attempts to break that clause early failed but Rangers were able to acquire the defender for a fee in the region of £600,000, not including add-ons and a sell-on percentage fee to Fluminense, in May 2024. Jefte moved to Rangers on the same terms APOEL had agreed the previous summer.
Nils Koppen knew Jefte from his time at PSV (Image: SNS)
“We wanted him already in January. And he wanted to come also. But at that moment it was stopped by his team,” Clement said recently on his young left-back.
“We stayed in touch all these months. And he showed also a real desire to come and to fight for that.
“We could not do everything in one window. But it’s good now that people start to see the young talented players who came in. That they have the quality now or for the future for sure to become important players.”
As the Rangers Review has discussed previously, Jefte is a different profile of player to the one he replaced in Barisic. While the Croatian was an elite crosser, he was a player who struggled to build play deep in the pitch or carry the ball beyond opponents.
By contrast, Jefte thrives with big spaces ahead of him and can progress the ball individually. That fact has been key to not only improving the variation in Rangers’ attack, but the options they have in build-up. The defender’s size, stature and speed are a strong fit at full-back in line with the tactical developments seen at football’s elite level. On the surface as a profile, there is not much Jefte lacks.
One of the main criticisms thrown at Barisic was his tendency to pass backwards when pressed by the touchline. Teams will often press Rangers’ full-backs most aggressively, given the touchline limits passing options. Jefte, in contrast, thrives in such situations. His pace means that direct opponents often have to overcompensate their body positioning at the fear of losing a footrace down the line, allowing extra space for the player to skip inside and slice through the opposition’s press. Here’s an example early on in Sunday’s win over Hibs.
And here’s a further example that catalysed an opener against Ross County last month.
When in the final third Jefte also poses opposition defences a variety of problems, given an ability to cross, carry or exchange his way forward. Take a look at his final third entries which include darts to the byline, crosses from deep and dribbles. Dotted lines represent ball carries and straight lines passes/crosses.
Jefte’s Premiership final third entries (Image: StatsBomb)
After a small sample size of 4.3 90 minutes, the Brazilian has averaged more successful dribbles per 90 than any other full-back in the league (2.31). He’s also in the highest percentile for the number of times he makes a tackle compared to being dribbled past.
Jefte represents the profile of player and transfer that Rangers should’ve been targeting long before this summer. The Ibrox side need to not only buy low and sell high, but buy for now and not only the future.
While that’s easier said than done Jefte, at an early stage, appears a player who ticks all the boxes. Ready to contribute now, acquired for a good fee and with the potential to return a far healthier one in future.
Rangers FC
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