£2 million-rated Swansea City winger Morgan Whittaker is keen on making a January move to Mick Beale’s resurgent Rangers side, according to the Daily Record.
Last month, shortly after former assistant coach Beale stepped up to the big job following the sacking of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Ibrox legend Kris Boyd highlighted an area of the Rangers squad in dire need of investment.
The Glasgow giants, Boyd said, had not failed a Daniel Candeias-shaped hole in the three-and-a-half years since the Portuguese playmaker said his goodbyes in the summer of 2019.
Now, Whittaker is a very different kind of right-winger. Unlike Candeias, who made whipped crosses from the byline his trademark, Derby-born Whittaker prefers to cut in onto his surgical left boot.
The East Midlands Mahrez, if you will.
But a tally of nine goals and seven assists on loan at League One title-chasers Plymouth Argyle during the first half of this season shows just how effective Whittaker can be when given freedom to work his magic on the right-hand flank.
Rangers could solve right-wing worries by signing Swansea City’s Morgan Whittaker
The former England U20 international is hoping to become the first signing of the Beale era at Rangers. Beale believes Whittaker can add a different dimension to his forward line. Intriguingly, has an impressive track record when it comes to getting the best out of technically-gifted attacking midfielders. See Chris Willock and Ilias Chair at QPR. Malik Tillman at Ibrox.
Whittaker, who can also play as a number ten, is likely to cost around £2 million. Rangers, per the Scottish Sun, have had an initial bid of just £900,000 rejected. Time will tell if the Glasgow giants are willing to increase their opening offer by over 50 per cent, though Swans boss Russell Martin has indicated that Whittaker will not feature in Tuesday’s FA Cup replay with Bristol City amid ongoing speculation over his immediate future.
“I think (the offer) is quite some way short (of our valuation) at the moment,” says Martin, the ex-Rangers defender.
“Morgan is probably not going to be involved (against Bristol City). We had a good chat. And, with that looming over his head, we need to see where that’s going to go.”
Morgan Whittaker was ‘brilliant’ for Plymouth Argyle
Whittaker was a talismanic presence for a Plymouth side battling Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday for an automatic promotion spot in England’s second tier. By his own admission, he was ‘devastated’ when Swansea opted to trigger the re-call clause in his contract. One suspects Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher will have had similar feelings.
“He has been a real important player for us,” says Schumacher; linked with the West Brom job before the Baggies hired Carlos Corberan (Plymouth Live).
“(Whittaker) gets himself into great positions on the pitch, shows his quality. Nearly every week, he has opportunities to score. And, at the moment, he’s taking them.
“I think everyone can see how good he is. He’s been a brilliant player for us this season. He has contributed goals and assists. (He) is one of the key reasons why we are sat at the top of the league.”
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