Rangers target Joseph Okumu is too good for Sweden’s top flight and shares similarities with Liverpool talisman Virgil van Dijk, Elfsborg teammate Johan Larsson has told Fotboll Skanalen.
Eight years after a fresh-faced Van Dijk swapped Groningen for Celtic in what now looks the bargain of the century at £2.6 million, could Old Firm rivals Rangers bring a top-class defensive talent of their own to the Scottish Premiership?
Last week, Aftonbladet reported Steven Gerrard’s title-winning side had identified Kenya international Okumu as a potential replacement for Filip Helander, the battle-hardened Swede who has admirers at Aston Villa and Leicester City.
Okumu has taken Scandinavia by storm since arriving in 2019 following a spell in the US.
And Larsson is convinced his fellow Elfsborg defender has the potential and skill-set to climb more rungs up the footballing ladder.
“He has similar qualities (to Virgil van Dijk). So it is not a stupid comparison, but it is also a tough comparison to live up to,” Larsson explains.
“Yes, he is (too good for Sweden’s top flight). And he improves all the time. It is clear he has become better and also wiser tactically.
“It’s great (to play alongside Okumu). He is sharp at finding his way into the spaces and starting our attacks. He is important for our game plan and also incredibly fast and skilled defensively in one-on-one situations.
“And then he has a very good passing range. I really think he is underestimated. He does his job 100 per cent and requires no pat on the back for it. That is his role – and he handles it brilliantly.”
While Helander is something of an old-school centre-back, all bone-shaking tackles and full-blooded clearances, Okumu would bring a more modern approach to Rangers’ back line.
Like Liverpool’s £75 million Dutchman, the 23-year-old is as impressive with the ball as he is without it.
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