Glasgow Rangers have wasted little time identifying targets they want to bring to Ibrox this summer.
If Rangers are to stand any chance of ending their long wait for a win against Celtic this weekend, the Gers simply must win the midfield battle that Scott Brown has largely dominated ever since Andy Halliday outshone the former at Hampden Park back in 2016.
Halliday’s chances of getting another go at the Hoops skipper appear to have been dashed after the events of the Scottish Cup semi-final, so perhaps it may be Jason Holt who gets an opportunity after the 25-year-old played the full 90 minutes during the Light Blues’ win over Hearts last weekend.
Holt has never won over the entirety of the Ibrox faithful, but he did impress in the 2-1 victory, displaying his terrier-like ability to press the ball and win it back, while he also did not look bad in possession either. It would be little surprise therefore, if Graeme Murty looked to him to be the man to try and mark Brown out of the contest at Parkhead on Sunday.
And if he is given the nod, Holt may perhaps feel that his display could have massive implications for his Ibrox future given that Rangers continue to be linked with central midfielders ahead of the summer.
The Daily Mail reported at the start of the month that the Gers were amongst a host of clubs eyeing Youssouf Mulumbu, while the same publication suggested that Crystal Palace’s James McArthur is a target and The Sun claimed that Dundee’s Glen Kamara is also on their radar.
Holt has made more league starts than all but six of the Rangers squad this season, but has undoubtedly benefited from the long-term injuries to Graham Dorrans, Ross McCrorie and Ryan Jack. It seems unlikely that he would have got the same amount of minutes had all of Murty’s men avoided any prolonged spells on the sidelines.
Signing just one of the linked trio therefore, could be extremely worrying news for Holt’s prospects of featuring fairly regularly in future, while signing two or even all three would see the former Hearts man fall right down the pecking order.
Rangers fans will not get carried away if Holt shines and puts in a career-defining performance on Sunday as they know that he can be inconsistent, but it seems fair to say that such a display could make a massive difference to what situation he finds himself in next season as Rangers continue to put their summer wishlist together.
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