Glasgow Rangers head coach Michael Beale oversaw an overhaul of the playing squad throughout the summer transfer window as a number of players were moved on to make way for new signings.
The Light Blues head coach snapped up Sam Lammers, Cyriel Dessers, Danilo, Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling, Jack Butland, Jose Cifuentes, Abdallah Sima, and Leon Balogun ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Who left Rangers this summer?
Seven players were allowed to depart from Ibrox on free transfers upon the expiry of their contracts with the Scottish giants this summer.
Ryan Kent
26
Alfredo Morelos
27
Allan McGregor
41
Filip Helander
30
Scott Arfield
34
Nmandi Ofoborh
24
The Gers also decided to cash in on Glen Kamara, Fashion Sakala, and Antonio Colak to build up some funds to strengthen the squad.
Sakala was a particularly surprising exit as the Zambia international had enjoyed an impressive 2022/23 campaign with the Light Blues.
His transfer to Al-Fayha did, however, represent the end of a terrific piece of business for the club as they were able to make a significant profit on the talented ace.
How much did Rangers pay for Sakala?
The Scottish giants did not pay a penny to sign the Zambian dynamo from Belgian side Oostende as they snapped him up on a free transfer.
At the time of the move, FootballTransfers placed his Expected Transfer Value at €2.3m (£2m) and this suggests that the club secured a bargain with their £0 swoop for his services.
Then-manager Steven Gerrard hailed him as a player with the potential to thrive in Scotland and detailed his hopes for the speedy gem to fulfill his potential at Ibrox.
He made the move to Rangers after an impressive 2020/21 campaign with Oostende in Belgium, as the former Spartak Moscow prospect showcased his goalscoring quality.
Sakala caught the eye with 16 goals and five assists in 34 matches in all competitions for the club, which included three goals and two assists in five Jupiter Pro League play-off matches.
The right-footed whiz averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.92 across 31 Pro League starts for the Belgian outfit and scored 16 goals – slightly better than a strike every other start on average.
How many goals did Sakala score for Rangers?
Sakala ended his career at Rangers with 24 goals in 91 appearances for the club in all competitions after Gerrard opted to snap him up after his impressive form for Oostende during the 2020/21 season.
The 26-year-old hotshot produced 12 goals and seven assists in 50 matches for the Light Blues throughout his debut campaign in Scotland.
He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.05 across 30 Scottish Premiership outings and contributed at the top end of the pitch with nine goals. However, his teammates often let him down in the final third as the talented whiz created seven 'big chances' and 38 key passes, only to be rewarded with three assists.
Sakala also played a crucial role in Rangers' Scottish FA Cup success as he caught the eye throughout the competition on their way to lifting the trophy at Hampden under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who replaced Gerrard during the season, in 2022.
The Zambia international scored in each of his first three appearances in the tournament and then assisted the winning goal against Celtic in the semi-final before the club beat Hearts 2-0 in the final.
He followed up on his impressive debut campaign with the Gers with a return of 12 goals and eight assists in 41 matches throughout the 2022/23 season under van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale combined.
Sakala plundered 12 goals and seven assists in 22 Premiership starts as he averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.05 across 29 appearances in total.
Only Antonio Colak (14) and James Tavernier (16) scored more top-flight goals for Rangers than the former Oostende star and this shows that he was one of the club's biggest goal threats throughout the year.
The electric ace, who scored four goals in five games during the top-six split, ended his two full seasons with the Gers on 21 goals and ten assists in 35 starts in total.
This means that Sakala contributed with a goal or an assist every 1.13 Premiership starts on average throughout his time with the Scottish giants, which highlights how efficient he was for the club.
How much did Rangers sell Sakala for?
Rangers reportedly raked in a fee of around £4m from Al-Fayha during the summer transfer window after he fell down the pecking order in Beale's thinking due to the likes of Danilo, Lammers, and Dessers coming through the door.
This shows that Gerrard, and former sporting director Ross Wilson, struck gold for the Light Blues in the summer of 2021 when they swooped to sign Sakala on a free transfer.
The Scottish side enjoyed his impressive talents on the pitch for two years before they were able to sell him for £4m more than they signed him for, which was nothing.
How many goals has Sakala scored this season?
Although, Beale may end up regretting his decision to cash in on the 26-year-old "firework" – as he was once dubbed by ex-Gers defender Alan Hutton – as the talented forward has enjoyed a terrific start to life in Saudi Arabia.
Sakala has scored four goals and assisted one in seven Pro League appearances for Al-Fayha and averaged an exceptional Sofascore rating of 7.46 in that time.
Meanwhile, Lammers, Dessers, and Danilo have four goals and zero assists in 16 combined Premiership matches, whilst no Rangers player has produced more than two goals so far this season.
The 5 foot 10 marksman's Sofascore rating would also place him third within the Gers squad this season as only Borna Barisic (7.48) and Tavernier (7.70) have averaged higher ratings in the league.
These statistics suggest that it may have been a mistake to move Sakala on from Ibrox in the summer as they have been unable to replace his goalscoring prowess, as it stands, and he is enjoying himself in front of goal with his new side.
However, there is no doubt that, whatever happens from now, Gerrard played a blinder with his move to sign him on a free transfer in the summer of 2021 and that the 26-year-old speedster should be seen as a successful signing by the English boss.
