Rangers are in desperate need of January recruits if they want to give themselves a chance of clawing back ground on Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race.
The Light Blues currently trail their Glasgow rivals by nine points with the season now on hold for over a month due to the World Cup. The injury list is lengthy but quality will likely be sought. Boss Gio van Bronckhorst is under-pressure but refused to use the excuse of it not being his squad as a reason for their stuttering form, although he admitted reinforcements are likely to be made. He said: "I speak almost every day with Ross (Wilson) and we need to see how my squad is when the window comes closer. In every window you have to make sure you end the window stronger than you started. You can see what is possible and what we can do. We always want a better squad."
Former captain Barry Ferguson also emphasised the need for a stronger squad in his Record Sport column on Friday and then added to the sentiment on Go Radio where he reckoned there's at least four positions that urgently need to be strengthened. However he insisted that any personnel coming into the club need to hit the ground running immediately and be able to come straight into the starting XI. The future of contract rebels Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent remains unclear as they run their current deals down, which could add to the size of the rebuild needed at Rangers. While an experienced centre-back has been badly missed due to the injury of Connor Goldson, with 18-year-old Leon King and versatile midfielder James Sands having to deputise in defence.
Rangers were in Berlin for TransferRoom's signing summit this week where they met representative's from clubs across Europe to discuss possible incomings and outgoings.
Here's 5 players that Rangers could sign when the transfer window opens.
Nicolas Raskin - Standard Liege
It's no secret that Ibrox chiefs have been an admirer of Raskin after he was highly tipped to join Rangers in the summer. The centre midfielder is out-of-contract with the Belgian side at the end of the season and with Glen Kamara's future up in the air along with Steven Davis and Scott Arfield being deep into their 30s, fresh legs in the middle of the park could benefit Van Bronckhorst's side.
Raskin is a midfield enforcer who loves to press and lead by example despite being only 21-years-old. His stats are improving rapidly each season, for example, he has increased his successful dribbles from 58 per cent per game to 74 per cent within a year. He also has developed his tackling and crossing abilities which is key traits for the way Van Bronckhorst wants to play.
Key Stat: Raskin has four assists this season in the Belgian Pro League and has shown he's more than capable of marauding forward with a shot from the edge of the box
Oscar Gloukh - Maccabi Tel Aviv
Gloukh is an exciting attacking midfielder who has already notched up five goals and five assists from 20 appearances this season. He has been dubbed an Israeli wonder kid with a hefty €8million price tag on him.
He was the star man as Israel soared all the way to the U19s European Championship final this summer and has since hinted he would be open to a move to Europe which has caught the eye of both Rangers and Celtic scouts. Although he is contracted at Tel Aviv until June 2024
The 18-year-old's key stats are his dribbling and ability to start counter-attacks. He has a 58 per cent success rate per game with dribbles and has improved on his key passes within the past year. He would be a signing that would have huge resale value should he hit the ground running in Scotland.
Key Stat: Gloukh is a defence splitting playmaker who is strong with both feet
Andre Moreira - Grasshopper Zurich
Rangers need a number one goalkeeper for the future with Robby McCrorie yet to be given a true chance between the sticks, Allan McGregor in the twilight of his career and Jon McLaughlin is a perfect backup but has yet to thrive as the main man at Ibrox.
Moreira started his career at Atletico Madrid but struggled to cement a starting place in Diego Simeone's side as he departed on loan seven times - most notably a spell at Aston Villa in 2018. But at 26-years-old, he is now thriving as number one at Swiss side Grasshopper since making the permanent switch in 2021. He has a 50 per cent penalty save rate and is reliable to save over 75 per cent of shots that come at him. McGregor and McLaughlin only have 61 and 63 per cent shot stopping rates respectively.
Key Stat: Moreira is a tall, composed, right-handed goalkeeper. He often starts the offensive game through long passes - 16 on average per game. He positions himself well between the posts.
Rasmus Lauritsen - Dinamo Zagreb
Rangers have looked fragile defensively throughout the season but nothing has highlighted the need for another centre-back more than Connor Goldson being on the treatment table since a Champions League defeat to Liverpool in October and isn't expected to be fit again until the New Year.
Youngster Leon King and midfielder James Sands have had to fill in at the back which has proved costly for Van Bronckhorst and that means an experienced defender such as Lauritsen could be a valuable acquisition if they can temp the 26-year-old away from the Croatian league leaders.
Lauritsen stats compare similarly to Celtic's Cameron Carter-Vickers and he boasts a 70 per cent plus success rate for winning aerial duals and in-game challenges. He would likely cost around €4million which is around the same fee the Ibrox club paid to sign both Ridvan Yilmaz and Ben Davies.
Key Stat: Lauritsen wins many challenges, especially those in the air and is reliable in tackling.
Jens Odgaard - AZ Alkmaar
Kemar Roofe and injuries have gone hand in hand over the past six months while Alfredo Morelos looks a shadow of the striker that became the club's top European goalscorer last season. That leaves Antonio Colak who has been one of the shining light's of the seven signings made in the summer. But should he end up sidelined, Rangers could be left short up top with Fashion Sakala also not an out and out striker.
And 23-year-old Odgaard could be the man to fill that gap if Rangers are willing to splash the cash to tempt him away from the Eredivisie side. He has scored eight goals in 20 appearances and is a mobile striker, who roams along the attacking front in search of the ball. He is known for challenging his opponents at a high rate with around 24 per game, 14 on the ground and 30 per cent won. He was previously valued at just €3million however his goalscoring exploits might make him tougher to prize.
He has more shots on target per game than Colak and Morelos, while having a significantly higher ball recovery rate which emphasises his willingness to work for the team.
Key Stat: Odgaard has had the most shots for AZ this season with 57 in total, 49 per cent on target.
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