IT has been a busy summer transfer window with several changes in the women’s team.
Alongside a new head coach it has brought five new incomings in the past months with the emergence of several Gers academy players also making an impact on the squad at the start of the season.
The transfer window officially closed last night and here is our round-up of the summer incomings.
Michelle Colson
The first signing of the summer transfer window and first of the Jo Potter era was Michelle Colson, who joined the club from Belgian club Anderlecht.
The defender joined her former club back in 2019 from fellow Belgian side Oud-Hever Leuven and was part of the Anderlecht team that has won the league title in the last three campaigns. The 24-year-old picked up the trophy in all of her seasons at the club.
The centre-back has also been capped by her country on two occasions, making her Belgium debut against South Korea back in February 2023.
She made her first start for the Gers in last month’s 2-1 victory over Hearts and has made seven appearances so far in total.
Rio Hardy
The striker become the head coach’s second addition of the summer as the Light Blues strengthened their forward line by bringing in her from English side Durham.
Having spent time at Coventry together the pair linked up once again with the striker having enjoyed several successful spells across the globe in her career so far.
The 27-year-old began her career at Blackburn Rovers where she enjoyed a successful youth career before she headed to America to study at the University of South Alabama playing college football.
She also enjoyed impressive spells at Grindavik of Iceland before moving to Cyprus to join Apollon Limossol where she featured in the UEFA Champions League. Continuing her fine form domestically scoring 61 times in just 49 games before she made a return to her home country to join Coventry City before making the move to Durham.
The forward has started her Rangers career in impressive fashion scoring eight goals in nine outings so far including a hat-trick in last weekend’s 8-1 win over Dundee United.
Rachel Rowe
The Welsh international joined the Gers this summer adding both domestic and international experience to the squad.
A product of Swansea’s youth academy Rowe began her senior professional career with rivals Cardiff. Spending a season at the Welsh side she was part of the team that won the Welsh Premier Women's Football League in the 2012/13 season.
The versatile midfielder made the move to her former club Reading in February 2015 on a part-time basis before agreeing full-time terms in December that year following the club's promotion to the FA Women's Super League, going on to make over 100 appearances for the Royals.
The 30-year-old has represented her country at U17 and U19 level, before making her Wales debut for the senior side in a UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying match against Austria starting in a 3–0 defeat. She has gone on to make 49 caps for Wales to date, scoring on three occasions.
Injury has restricted Rowe to just two appearances for the Gers so far, starting in the opening day win over Spartans. However her recent recovery has saw her named in the Wales squad for the upcoming international break.
Sarah Ewens
Rangers’ forward line was boosted even further after the addition of Sarah Ewens from London City Lionesses.
The Edinburgh-born forward joined local junior side Hutchison Vale at the start of her career before moving to fellow capital side Spartans, firing in an impressive goal tally of 42 goals in 54 appearances in three seasons with the club.
Her form saw her seal a move to Hibernian before a move to Celtic was to follow in 2016, with her goal rate continuing to flourish with 64 goals in 98 appearances. She was also the only player to score against every team in the 2019/20 SWPL season, winning both the SWF Scottish Cup and the SWPL Cup during her time in Scotland.
Ewens’ time down south began in 2021 when she made the switch to Women’s Championship side Birmingham City where she spent a season with the Midlands club, before agreeing to join her former side in July last year and finding the target on 12 occasions in 19 outings for the London club.
The forward has also represented her country at both Under-17 and Under-19 level and was also called up to the Scotland senior side for the first time in April 2023 but missed out on an appearance in the camp due to injury.
Recent injuries have also restricted Ewens to three appearances overall, making her only start for her new club in the 1-0 victory over Partick Thistle on September 3.
Libby Bance
Libby became the fifth and final signing of the summer transfer window as she joined on a season-long deal from Brighton & Hove Albion on deadline day.
The youngster made the temporary switch to Glasgow having come through the English club’s youth academy. She has gone on to make several appearances in the Women’s Super League having agreed her first pro terms with the club in the summer of 2022.
The midfielder has also appeared in a training camp for her national team at youth level as she was involved for England U19s. She has run out for her current club on 39 occasions in total, including 18 starts in both the league and cup. Bance signed a contract extension in August 2023 but has now made the switch to the Light Blues on a deal until the summer of 2024.
The current Rangers squad is therefore as follows:
GOALKEEPERS: Jenna Fife, Victoria Esson
DEFENDERS: Nicola Docherty, Rachel McLauchlan, Kathryn Hill, Eilidh Austin, Lisa Martinez, Michelle Colson
MIDFIELDERS: Tessel Middag, Brogan Hay, Rachel Rowe, Megan Bell, Libby Bance, Chelsea Cornet, Kirsty Maclean, Jodi McLeary
ATTACKERS: Kirsty Howat, Rio Hardy, Jane Ross, Mia McAulay, Lizzie Arnot, Sarah Ewens, Laura Berry