Gareth McAuley will leave West Bromwich Albion this summer and Scottish Premiership giants Rangers should consider him.
It is fair to say the summer of 2016 will not go down as a vintage era for Rangers in terms of recruitment.
The likes of Joey Barton, Niko Kranjcar and Philippe Senderos flopped spectacularly at Ibrox, but there was one former Premier League veteran who did reach the end of his contract at Rangers with his reputation enhanced.
Clint Hill might have been 37 when he swapped QPR for the blue half of Glasgow on a free, but it is a measure of just how impressive he was during his one and only year at the club that many fans were disappointed to see him go the following summer.
The grizzled centre-back was a pillar of consistency and vocal presence on and off the pitch in a Rangers side lacking identity. In fact, he was arguably their most impressive and most reliable performer across 2016/17.
So perhaps Rangers should keep this in mind when Gareth McAuley’s contract at West Bromwich Albion expires in the summer. According to the Birmingham Mail, the long-serving defender looks set to be released upon the Baggies’ seemingly inevitable relegation as he approaches his 39th birthday.
But age is just a number and it must be remembered that McAuley was superb last season, starting 36 Premier League games and scoring six goals as the now bottom-of-the-table West Brom sealed a top half finish.
McAuley, still a Northern Ireland international, has a lot left to offer and just imagine the impact he would have on Rangers’ exciting young centre-halves Ross McCrorie, Aiden White and, if he stays, David Bates.
This is the sort of low-risk signing that could have massive rewards.
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