Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
Sport
Mark McDougall

The Rangers transfer priority for Steven Gerrard ahead of Champions League tilt and Eddie Howe battle

When you look at the players in the middle of the park for Rangers, it's arguably their strongest position.

Steven Davis, Glen Kamara, Joe Aribo, Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack are all important players in the way Steven Gerrard plays it.

Bongani Zungu has failed to hit the heights hoped of him, but has still chipped in here and there while largely being used to see games out late on.

But while it is a strong position, it's arguably the area of the pitch where Gerrard needs to focus most in the summer window.

The goalkeeping department is strong with Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin, as well as youngsters Kieran Wright and Robby McCrorie.

The defence is strong, with arguably the biggest issue being there is too many centre backs for next season - with six first team players on the books there.

It's a similar story up front. Gerrard focused there last summer with the signings of Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten, so even if Jermain Defoe or Alfredo Morelos leave, there's plenty of options through the middle.

Scott Wright's addition to the wide area means there's plenty of talent there too, so that leaves the middle of the park.

There is a bit more of an issue there with three of the six midfielders at the club have suffered injury issues this season. Ryan Jack, Scott Arfield and Joe Aribo all missing extended periods at different times.

Jack, in particular, has been a major worry. He's missed a total of 26 games out of the 49 matches the club have played in all competitions this season. That's a total of 53 per cent of games this season.

Aribo and Arfield missed a further 20 combined so it has meant that veteran Steven Davis has played almost every game this season.

Rangers have sent Jack to a specialist in a bid to solve the injury issues that have plagued his Ibrox career so far and he'll be desperate to get it sorted. Gerrard trusts him and he's always a regular in the big games when he is fit, and if it wasn't for his injuries, you'd predict him to be a future Rangers captain.

Aribo and Arfield's are less problematic because they don't seem to be recurring but Gerrard won't want to go through another season where he could be left short in numbers in the middle of the park.

There's also the worry about the age of the midfield. Davis is 36 and although he still has the legs to do his job, there is always the fear that stepping up to Champions League level, as well as the Premiership, could take more of a toll on the Northern Irishman.

With Arfield aged 32 and Jack 29, that's half of the midfield reaching the latter end of their career - while Zungu is also likely to leave.

Aribo and Kamara are both just entering the best years of their careers so there is plenty of legs there with those two, but more needs added.

Kamara's form has been sensational this season and he has been heavily linked with a move away in the summer, and that's likely to be escalated if he has a successful European Championships with Finland this summer.

It'll take a big bid to get Rangers willing to sell but it's another worry for the club if someone comes in for him and they need to replace him.

There is options already at the club to help out there. Stephen Kelly has continued his improvement while on loan at Ross County and could be kept next season to develop at the club and play the 'smaller' games while continuing to learn his trade by training alongside Davis every day.

Ciaran Dickson also made his Rangers debut this season and is highly-rated at the club, while Ianis Hagi could be used in a central midfield position too.

But even with all that, strengthening while on top is vital for Rangers and midfield looks like the position needing the most work.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.