Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha revealed earlier this week that he was on the verge of making one or two signings at the club, claiming that deals were about to be done for midfielders. The comments came as he dismissed speculation he was interested in signing Hearts’ Alex Tziolis.
As quoted by The Scotsman, he said:
“We know exactly what we are looking for and we have a level for the players for that position already. Things are going in the direction we want. We are about to get one deal, or more than one deal, done in those positions, so we know what we want.”
Who could these mystery men be? How close are they to making the deal? Days? Weeks? It’s all very exciting to speculate on for Rangers fans.
It’s no surprise that Rangers badly need reinforcements in the middle of the park. Players like Andy Halliday and Jason Holt simply haven’t got the job done this season. With the likes of Emerson Hyndman and Jon Toral returning to their parent clubs in the summer, they need bodies as well as quality.
Let’s take a look then at some targets who could be on their way to Ibrox shortly…
Graham Dorrans
Linked with Rangers as recently as April, Graham Dorrans is a midfielder who would surely improve the first team at Ibrox. The Scottish Sun reported that Jonatan Johansson was sent to scout the 30 year old during a recent Norwich City match against Preston, a match he scored in, so it’s clear they’ve been doing their homework on him for a while and are likely impressed.
His deal at Carrow Road doesn’t run out until 2019 but with a number of first team stars leaving the Canaries this summer to free up wage resources, perhaps a move would make sense for all parties.
With hundreds of English Premier League and Championship appearances since leaving Livingston and Scottish football back in 2008, he certainly has the pedigree to be a success for the Light Blues. Added to that, he is a boyhood fan of the club so would show a huge commitment to the cause of chasing down Celtic.
Is he the man to lead the Pedro Caixinha midfield next season?
Ryan Jack
Having reportedly made an official approach to Aberdeen to talk to club captain Ryan Jack, he is perhaps the favourite to be one of Pedro Caixinha’s imminent signings at Rangers.
The 25 year old is out of contract at Pittodrie this summer and signing him would be a bitter blow to Derek McInnes and the Dons.
Part of the rebuilding process at Ibrox over the next 12 months will be ensuring they finish ahead of Aberdeen and what better way to start than process that to prise away one of their top performers and most important personalities?
The psychological blow is perhaps enough to make a move for him, especially on a free, but he also has the required tenacity to bring a new edge to a Rangers midfield that has been decidedly lightweight this season.
They need to shore up the middle of the park defensively over the summer and securing Jack would go a long way towards that.
John McGinn
Having helped Hibernian finally escape the Scottish Championship, we have no doubt that John McGinn will have his fair share of suitors this summer. Rangers previously missed out on the signing of Scott Allan, who joined Celtic, and they can’t afford to miss out on another top Scottish talent.
While a fee would involved, he’s a player that’s potentially worth spending a good chunk of their transfer budget on. At Hibs he’s emerged into one of the brightest midfield talents in the whole country and a move to Ibrox gives him the promise of first team football at a big club, something he needs to bring his game to the next level. Scott Allan was ultimately swamped by talent at Celtic and McGinn would likely not be an automatic starter there either.
Already winning caps for Scotland, the 22 year old has a bright future ahead of him and why shouldn’t it be at Rangers?
