It is a statistic which can cause you to pause momentarily when you hear it – Steven Gerrard has signed 36 players in two years as manager of Rangers. That level of turnover and change in the playing squad cannot be conducive to harmony and understanding, but somehow Gerrard has managed to make Rangers a creditable force in Scottish football again. Incredibly, though, it looks like his team need one final injection of investment to go to the next level and challenge Celtic for the title once again.
It is illuminating that for all the strides that Rangers have made, Celtic are still the favourites for the title and more on sportwetten-deutschland.de and other betting sites, now that the new season has started. It is also quite interesting to see the players who have been brought in by Rangers while Gerrard has been manager, and ironically, central midfield has been an area of under-investment. Ryan Jack and Glen Kamara have done well, but there is a sense that the Gers need more creativity from midfield. The likes of Joe Aribo, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield are all options as well, but Aribo in particular may play a more attacking role, while there is a need to bring in a defensive midfielder with a good passing range, to allow the likes of Jack and Aribo to push on and get more involved in the final third. This, in turn, could go a long way towards solving Rangers’ creativity issues. Ianis Hagi and Ryan Kent are the first-choice wingers, with both players proving to be crucial for Rangers’ attacking threat last season, and it looks like the same pattern will continue this time around as well.
Up front, star striker Alfredo Morelos may yet leave, with Lille harbouring serious hopes of luring him over to Ligue 1. However, Rangers have already prepared for this eventuality, bringing in Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe to bolster Gerrard’s attack. Crucially, both players are different in terms of their playing style, which will give the manager more options to change things up tactically. Further, Roofe can play multiple roles, having played as a wide forward as well as lone striker and as part of a front two during his time at Leeds and Anderlecht, and this will then lessen the need to recruit a right-sided attacker. Roofe can easily come in and play instead of Hagi on the right, with Itten or Morelos, if he stays, playing as the striker.
However, the need to sign a central midfielder is also not a pressing one. As mentioned, Rangers have enough players to play in midfield, but the point being made is that they need to bring in some quality to provide a spark, and give the club the lift needed to compete with Celtic at the top of the table. If Rangers truly want to go back to the pinnacle of Scottish football, they will have to make these decisions, and providing Gerrard with the squad he needs to do this job must be a priority for them.
