Rangers made full use of the loan system to bring in some top talents from England’s top two divisions in January, but who should they consider in the upcoming summer window?
Rangers have experienced quite the resurgence this season and have done well to reestablish themselves as Scotland’s second best team after Brendan Rodgers’ treble winning Celtic.
Having only returned to the Scottish Premiership ahead of last season, the Gers look likely to finish second this year, an improvement on their third place finish in 2016/17.
Since the appointment of Graeme Murty in place of the sacked Pedro Caixinha, results have begun to improve and the football on display has been of a much higher quality. However, there is still much work to be done before the club is ready to challenge their Glasgow rivals on the domestic trophy front.
With the end of the season drawing near, we have selected three players that Rangers should definitely consider when it comes to their summer recruitment for the season ahead.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, CB, Ipswich Town (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
USA international centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers joined Tottenham Hotspur’s academy in 2009, making his debut for the club last season before joining Sheffield United on loan ahead of the current campaign. After 17 appearances for The Blades in the first half of the season, the 20-year-old has been on loan with Ipswich Town since January and has made a further 11 appearances in the Championship, and has continued to demonstrate his ability as a promising young defender.
Spurs may be unwilling to part ways with Carter-Vickers on a permanent basis, but should Rangers offer the youngster a loan deal, the North London club may well be keen on such a proposition. The pressures of playing for a club like Rangers is simply non-comparable to Championship football, and a season at Ibrox would stand the centre-back in good stead ahead of a potential career as a Tottenham star.
Stuart Findlay, CB, Kilmarnock (on loan from Newcastle United)
Scotland under-21 international Stuart Findlay has been terrific for Kilmarnock this season on loan from parent club Newcastle United. The Magpies picked up the former Celtic youth player on a free transfer following his release from the Glasgow club, who has made just one appearance for Benitez’s side since joining.
Plying his trade in his native land this season, the 22-year-old has excelled at Killie and is regarded as one of the best young defenders in the Scottish League. Having proven his capabilities at Rangers’ standard, it seems a no brainer for the Gers to enquire about his services. The only thing perhaps holding Rangers back from a potential Findlay deal would be his past affiliation with Celtic, having spent seven years with the Hoops and with past dreams of making it as a Celtic Park star.
However, that has never been a barrier to players in the past, and with aspirations to play for Scotland, Rangers could be the perfect fit for Findlay should Newcastle wish to loan him out once more.
James Morrison, CM, West Bromwich Albion
Just as they did in January with Jamie Murphy, Rangers should make full use of the fact that James Morrison grew up supporting the Gers. The Darlington-born Scotland international is almost certainly going down with West Brom this season with the club sitting bottom of the table on just 20 points, and with his current deal expiring at the end of the season, Morrison’s signature is a very plausible option.
The midfielder has spent over a decade at the Hawthorns and would no doubt be sad to leave, having been an integral member of the Baggies team throughout his time in the Midlands, but with a number of young Scottish midfielders coming through the ranks, a move to Rangers would both present Morrison with a strong chance of preserving his international career whilst also giving him a more realistic chance of winning some silverware before his career is out.
For any Rangers fan, the prospect of potentially being part of the team that puts a stop to Celtic’s quest for 10 titles in a row should be too much to turn down, and Rangers should definitely be enquiring about the 31-year-old’s services.
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