Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers should try signing Leeds United centre-back Aapo Halme on loan from the Championship this summer.
Steven Gerrard looks set to take the reins at Rangers and he will already have one eye on this summer’s transfer market, if he gets the job at Ibrox.
How successful Gerrard is in his first senior managerial role could hinge entirely on recruitment and therefore the Gers will need a brilliant summer if they are to even consider bridging the gap to Scottish Premiership champions Celtic.
The 37-year-old can’t look too far past the defence in terms of areas that need improving and one interesting target should be Leeds United’s Aapo Halme.
The Finnish powerhouse, who stands at 6’4, joined Leeds from HJK Helsinki in January and although he was always supposed to ply his trade in the Under-23 side originally, injury has prevented him from kicking off his career in West Yorkshire as of yet.
As a consequence, it seems unlikely that the 19-year-old will be in contention for a first-team place next season and, fitness permitting, a season on loan at Rangers is much better for his development than a season with United’s Under-23s.
Interestingly, Halme might be well known to at least one Gers man already – Jonatan Johansson.
The Finland legend and first-team coach at Auchenhowie, who won 106 caps during his playing career, recommended Alfredo Morelos to former Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha last summer [The Scottish Sun], and if he knew about the Colombian then he must have known about Halme, who was his team-mate at HJK.
Signing a centre-back is almost certainly on the agenda for the Glasgow side this summer and maybe, just maybe, Halme is a decent shout if Johansson is kept around.
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