Mick Beale’s Rangers are looking to sign free-agent Alex Kpakpe after the defender left Premier League giants Chelsea in November, according to The Athletic.
Back in 2020, Rangers lured a young Calvin Bassey to Ibrox following the expiration of his contract at Leicester City. Two years later, Bassey was an established part of the Nigerian national team, played a massive role in that stirring run to the Europa League final, and eventually earned himself a £20 million move to Dutch giants Ajax.
Now, it would maybe be a little unfair to view Kpakpe through the prism of Bassey’s success on the blue side of Glasgow. But with Rangers looking to bring another teenage left-back north of the border from a Premier League club, the hope will be that Kpakpe can take a leaf or two out of Bassey’s playbook.
There are certainly similarities between the two players. Like Bassey, Kpakpe is athletic and attack-minded. He was a 100m sprinter in his school days, and uses that explosive acceleration to very good effect on the football pitch. He’s adaptable too, capable of playing as a deep-lying midfielder as well as on the left-hand side.
Furthermore, life as a left-back clearly runs in the family. Kpakpe’s cousin is the £30 million Tottenham Hotspur flyer Ryan Sessegnon.
Rangers could sign Alex Kpakpe after Chelsea exit
“I used to take part in the 100m sprint when I was younger,” Kpakpe once told the Chelsea website. “And it’s a skill I still use nowadays in football.
“I’m really versatile. During my Sunday league days I played in every position. When I first joined Chelsea, I came as a deep midfielder. I slowly moved back to left-back, where I enjoy playing most now.”
Capped by England at youth level, the London-born 18-year-old left Chelsea a couple of weeks ago, a series of injuries scuppering his hopes of following Mason Mount and co into the first-team picture. Rangers could now offer Kpakpe a fresh start; The Athletic claiming that he is on trial at Ibrox. The youngster has already featured in a ‘bounce game’ for the Glasgow giants.
Kpakpe is likely to join as an academy signing initially. And Mick Beale’s track record when it comes to youth development, and his preference for attack-minded, buccaneering full-backs, should give Kpakpe hope that first-team opportunities will soon be within his grasp.
Kpakpe, should he sign on the dotted line, would also become the first new arrival of the Beale era.
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