The Glasgow-based team’s next five games will include a trip to the team at the top of the division, even though they are currently three points off the top of the standings.
With two draws and one loss in their previous three league games, Philippe Clement’s team has faltered and may have been unduly vulnerable to goal in their most recent 0-0 draw with Dundee.
Rangers has scored eight fewer goals in the Premiership than Celtic this season—72—so it’s possible that Head of Recruitment Nils Koppen, a Belgian manager, will attempt to enter the market later this year to bolster the attack.
The Gers duo will have the chance to add new players during the summer transfer window, and they have already been connected to a formidable attacker.
Rangers considering a £13 million maestro
According to recent reports, the Rangers are among the teams considering a summer raid to capture Eduard Spertsyan, the explosive midfielder from Krasnodar.
According to HITC’s Graeme Bailey, the Light Blues are keeping an eye on him and have been informed of his possible availability ahead of the summer transfer window.
Competitors Celtic was also rumored to be interested in the Armenian international, which may provide Clement’s team competition for his services.
The largest obstacle to the plan, though, is that HITC stated that Spertsyan’s relocation to the Netherlands or another country in continental Europe is now more likely.
According to reports, Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord are all interested in signing the gifted attacking midfield player, and they appear to be ahead of Rangers and Celtic in the competition.
The player himself stated earlier in the season that the president of Krasnodar rates him at €15 million (£13 million), but it’s unclear if that’s the precise price that the team is currently willing to pay for him.
It’s also unclear if Rangers or Celtic are willing to pay up to £13 million to sign him this summer, especially as they’ll also need to compete with a number of Dutch teams, which might raise the price even higher if an auction is held to sign him.
However, Clement might be a huge upgrade over current offensive midfielder Tom Lawrence if the Gers can close a deal for the Premier League star.
Tom Lawrence’s experience with the Rangers
The Welsh forward, who joined on a free transfer from Derby County in the summer of 2022, has had trouble being reliable in terms of both his availability and his level of play when healthy.
Due to an Achilles and a muscle injury, the 30-year-old wizard has missed an incredible 56 competitive games for club and country since the beginning of the previous campaign.
In contrast, Lawrence has only made 38 appearances for Rangers across all competitions in that time, indicating that the former star of the Championship has missed more games than he has participated in.
The above table illustrates how inconsistently good the seasoned midfielder has been at the top of the pitch for Clement as a number 10, contributing one goal every five games on average.
Prior to joining Rangers, he had scored 11 and 10 goals for Derby in his previous two Championship seasons. However, since the start of the current season, he has only managed three goals in 25 league games for the Gers.
According to these numbers, Lawrence has not been a standout player for the Scottish powerhouses. It appears that his injury problems have affected his performances, thus Clement should now try to upgrade him this summer.
The Wales international may not have much more growth left in him at the age of 30, thus the Light Blues could be better off recruiting a younger player before the 2024–2025 season.
Reasons to sign Eduard Spertsyan with the Rangers
If a deal can be made, the Ibrox side should move quickly to sign the Krasnodar star because he has the potential to be a significant improvement over Lawrence at the number eight or ten spot.
After an amazing 2022–23 campaign for the Russian team, Spertsyan, whom Ajax director Sven Mislintat hailed as “special” last year, has the capacity to score and create goals on a regular basis when at his best.
The 23-year-old gem’s performance in 28 league games in the Premier Liga last season included 10 goals, eleven assists, and eight “big chances” produced, demonstrating his ability to have an influence in the final third of the game.
In just three more outings, the Armenian star has also personally contributed to seven more league goals for his club, as the table above illustrates.
The £13 million player has contributed to 32 goals in 51 league games for Krasnodar since the beginning of the previous campaign, or one goal per 1.52 games on average.
In contrast, Lawrence has contributed directly to eight goals (three goals and five assists) in 25 Premiership games for Rangers, or one goal every 3.12 matches on average.
According to these numbers, the Welshman’s midfield rival might be greatly outclassed by the Gers target, who has the ability to score and set up goals much more regularly.
Since the beginning of the 2021–2022 season, the Armenian international has only missed four games due to injury, indicating that he would be a huge upgrade in terms of availability given how infrequently the young star misses games.
This indicates that Spertsyan, who is more durable than Lawrence and provides superior playmaking when healthy, may prove to be significantly more dependable over the course of a season.
In order to beat Celtic and the Dutch teams to sign the Krasnodar star, Clement and Koppen will need to put in a lot of effort in the upcoming months.
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