Scottish Premiership giants Rangers look set to miss out on Eric Martel with the RB Leizpig youngster on the verge of joining Bundesliga rivals FC Koln, as reported by BILD.
A defensive midfielder and a centre-half rolled into one, the highly-rated, highly-versatile Germany U21 international certainly could have come in handy at Ibrox.
Especially when you consider that Steven Davis, Rangers’ most influential number six, will turn 38 in January. And, following the departure of Leon Balogun and the potential exit of Calvin Bassey, reinforcements may be required in the heart of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s backline before the summer is out.
The Scottish Sun reported in April that Rangers were ‘monitoring’ Martel. The 20-year-old spent last season out on loan at Austria Vienna and had reportedly been informed that he was free to leave the Red Bull Arena.
As it stands, however, Koln are not only in pole position, they can almost taste the champagne.
Rangers target Eric Martel on the verge of RB Leipzig exit
Bild believe that Martel could be unveiled by the ‘Billy Goats’ on Monday afternoon. He will cost around £1 million and is set to undergo medical tests at the Rhein Energie Stadion.
“Eric is a very ambitious guy. A great character for the Bundesliga and Effzee are just the right place,” says Manfred Schmid, his coach at Austria Vienna and formerly an employee at Koln (Geissblog).
“Eric is taller than Salih (Ozcan) and he also played in central defence for me. He is even stronger than Salih. Of course, he still has a lot to learn. He’s sometimes a bit too aggressive in duels, but fits in perfectly with (Koln boss) Steffen Baumgart’s game.”
Martel will replace the aforementioned Ozcan, who joined Borussia Dortmund for a bargain £4 million recently.
“He is hardworking, always gives everything in training,” adds Schmid. “I’m convinced that he fits 100 per cent with Effzee.”
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