Glasgow Rangers supporters were hit with a surprise on Saturday when it was revealed that the club had pulled out of a deal to sign versatile defender Nobel Mendy.

RangersReview reported that the Light Blues have pulled out of a £2m deal to sign the Real Betis centre-back, who can also play at left-back, after discussions collapsed in recent days.

The 20-year-old titan had looked set for a move to Ibrox to bolster Russell Martin’s options at the back, but is now set to remain at Real Betis, or move elsewhere before the end of the summer transfer window.

Why Rangers may have dodged a blunder with Nobel Mendy

Pulling out of a move for the Senegalese defender may turn out to be a blunder dodged by the Gers, as there is little evidence to suggest that he would have been a significant signing for the club.

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Whilst Mendy, who is only 20, may turn out to be a fantastic player in the future, and could have turned out to be a quality addition for Rangers, there is little in the here and now to suggest that he would have hit the ground running.

The versatile defender has only played six senior games for Real Betis. He also struggled for the B team in the 2024/25 campaign, losing 59% of his duels across 13 league games for the reserve side, per Sofascore.

Rangers could forget about Mendy by swooping for a player who is more likely to make an immediate impact at Ibrox this season – Kassoum Ouattara.

Why Rangers should sign Kassoum Ouattara

The Light Blues have been linked with loan interest in the Monaco left-back, who is valued at £13m by his club, and they should be pushing to get a deal done for the 20-year-old star.

Despite being the same age as Mendy, Ouattara has played 55 times at senior level, including 33 times for Monaco, per Transfermarkt, and is more established in first-team football.

The French whiz may not seem like an obvious alternative, given that he plays at left-back mainly instead of centre-back, but the Gers could allow Emmanuel Fernandez and John Souttar to battle it out for a place next to Nasser Djiga, and bring Ouattara in to cover the left-back role that Mendy would have offered cover in.

xA*

0.29

0.11

Chances created*

1.38

1.14

Successful crosses*

1.62

1.00

Cross accuracy

41.2%

28.3%

Assists*

0.23

0.13

Dribbles completed*

1.15

1.17

As you can see in the table above, the Monaco talent’s output in Ligue 1 last season even suggests that he could be an upgrade on the departing Jefte, who is set to sign for Palmeiras, from an offensive perspective.

Ouattara, who writer Kai Watson described as a “very offensive” full-back, could excite supporters with his front-footed performances at left-back, as he is clearly a defender who likes to get forward to put crosses and passes into the final third to create chances for his teammates.

The £13m-rated talent may make more sense for what Rangers need in their backline, with Ridvan Yilmaz out of the picture and Jefte set to depart, than Mendy would, which is why it could make more sense to pursue the Monaco starlet.

So instead of signing a centre-back who could play left-back, in Mendy, the Gers could sign a talented left-back, who may have the potential to cover at left centre-back should Martin decide he would suit that role.

This is why Rangers could forget all about this collapsed deal for Mendy because the signing of Ouattara could make more sense for the team, and make a greater impact on the pitch.