---
title: "Rangers Face Olwethu Makhanya Exit Threat as Hutton Cites Precedent"
canonical: "https://readrangers.com/2026/09/17/olwethu-makhanya-rangers-exit-fear-hutton/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Graeme Hanna"
section: "Rangers News"
published: "2026-09-17T07:41:07Z"
modified: "2026-09-17T17:28:55Z"
---

# Rangers Face Olwethu Makhanya Exit Threat as Hutton Cites Precedent

**[Olwethu Makhanya](https://readrangers.com/squad/olwethu-makhanya/) has been at Ibrox for barely a month. Already, his early form has former Rangers full-back Alan Hutton reaching for an uncomfortable comparison.**

His composure and range in Sunday’s derby win were so complete that Hutton sees a familiar shape forming, before the January window even opens. The excitement around his form is entirely deserved.

That story belongs to Jean-Alain Boumsong. His brief Ibrox stay ended in a big-money sale that fans still remember, two decades on. Hutton is not predicting a deal. He is naming a real worry among supporters who have already watched this happen once. Rangers fans have long memories when it comes to prized assets moving on quickly.

## The Echoes of Jean-Alain Boumsong in Olwethu Makhanya’s Start

Olwethu Makhanya arrived from Philadelphia Union last month. The fee was a reported £3 million.

It already looks like shrewd business, given his early performances. Within weeks he had become a first-team regular. He capped that run with a commanding display in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Celtic. Supporters have taken note quickly too.

Hutton sees an echo of Boumsong in that rapid rise. Boumsong signed for Rangers on a free transfer from Auxerre in 2004.

Six months later, he was sold to Newcastle United for £8 million. It remains one of the most talked-about exits in the club’s modern history. That deal still stings for many long-time supporters. Hutton fears the same pattern could be forming again.

> “It’s a real concern that Makhanya is doing so well that somebody might come in and try to pinch him in January, similarly to what happened with Boumsong.”

That is Hutton’s honest view.

It is not confirmation of any offer on the table. No club has been linked with a firm bid. Nothing suggests Makhanya wants to leave Ibrox. By every account, his focus stays on [his rapid Rangers transition](https://readrangers.com/2026/09/16/olwethu-makhanya-targets-international-return-following-rapid-rangers-transition/) and building on a promising start.

Still, Hutton’s worry is rooted in something supporters know well. When a player this raw looks this comfortable this quickly, the football world tends to notice. Interest from elsewhere becomes hard to ignore once the window opens. That is simply the nature of the modern transfer market.

## Inside Derek McInnes’ Tactical Setup and Derby Dominance

Sunday’s 3-0 win over Celtic showed exactly what Derek McInnes is building at Ibrox.

Makhanya slotted into a defensive structure that looked calm and organised all afternoon. Celtic’s forward line rarely found a way through. It was a defensive display built on discipline, not luck.

Just as telling was the discipline shown further forward.

[James Penrice](https://readrangers.com/squad/james-penrice/) played in midfield off the ball, rather than his usual focus of a straight full-back role. His task was clear: man-mark Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren out of the game.

It was a bold call from McInnes. He asked a defender to track a dangerous attacker through central areas, rather than sit in a settled back line. The gamble worked. Nygren was nullified for most of the afternoon.

> “It was incredible, he covered every blade of grass.”

Hutton’s praise for Penrice shows how much of the derby win came down to individual discipline inside a clear team plan.

McInnes’s readiness to reshape his midfield around one threat suggests a manager who thinks carefully about matchups. It was tactical management at its sharpest.

Makhanya benefited directly. With midfield runners screened and Nygren shut down, he rarely faced isolated one-on-one moments. That let him defend on his terms, rather than react to Celtic’s movement. It was a platform built on trust between teammates.

## Four Clean Sheets in Five: Unpacking the Defensive Numbers

Sunday’s clean sheet was not a one-off. Rangers have now kept four clean sheets in their last five matches. That run points to something more structural than one good afternoon at the back. Five games is a small sample, but the pattern is clear.

Makhanya’s arrival lines up almost exactly with that upturn.

One player rarely transforms a defence alone. But his composure on the ball, and his reading of danger, have clearly added something McInnes’ side lacked before.

It has been a collective effort, but Makhanya has been central to it. Pundits and former players have noticed too.

Rangers legend Richard Gough has already offered [high praise](https://readrangers.com/2026/09/14/richard-gough-sends-direct-message-to-olwethu-makhanya/) for the youngster’s early progress.

The consistency is the striking part. Rangers have not just shut out weaker sides. Sunday’s derby came against a Celtic team with real attacking quality, and the visitors barely threatened a way through.

That kind of defensive reliability, held over five matches rather than one big performance, is exactly the form that tends to draw attention beyond Ibrox. Clean sheets like these do not happen by accident. It also explains why Hutton’s warning has struck a chord with fans, rather than being brushed off as idle talk.

For the manager, the challenge now is keeping that platform solid against tougher fixtures as the season goes on.

McInnes’ tactical flexibility will be tested further before January arrives. Makhanya sits at the heart of whatever system he settles on.

## January Window Dilemma: Squad Retention vs Strategic Sales

Rangers’ recent recruitment has favoured smart, value-driven signings over big-name spending.

Makhanya’s arrival fits that pattern closely. The club has shown it can spot undervalued talent. That philosophy shows in [the club’s transfer approach](https://readrangers.com/2026/08/25/rangers-fc-olwethu-makhanya-transfer-success-bedoya/) under the current recruitment setup.

That same approach is exactly what makes a Boumsong-style sale a real possibility, not just a talking point. A club that buys well and develops players fast will always create assets that rise in value quickly. Assets that rise in value attract suitors once a window opens. That dynamic is nothing new in modern football.

The Boumsong sale brought an £8 million profit on a free transfer. It funded other business at the time.

Many fans still view it with mixed feelings. Hutton’s comparison, [reported by the Daily Record](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/olwethu-makhanya-sparks-creeping-rangers-37668860), taps straight into that shared memory.

The club’s wider squad planning adds useful context. [John Souttar remaining in Rangers plans](https://readrangers.com/2026/09/17/john-souttar-remains-in-rangers-plans-after-aris-thessaloniki-transfer-collapses/) after a proposed exit collapsed is a reminder that not every departure story ends in a sale. Rangers have shown before that plans can change quickly.

McInnes will hope the same holds true for Makhanya.

Four clean sheets in five games, and a man-of-the-match derby display, are not numbers a manager wants to lose midway through a promising season. Supporters will be watching the transfer window closely.

Whether Rangers can resist January interest, if it comes, may shape how far this defensive platform can carry them.