Jason Jones

Sun 31 May 2020 9:43, UK

It’s clear to anybody with even a passing interest that Rangers are gearing up for a big summer of transfer activity. 

The Gers know that they have to take drastic action if they are to close the gap on Celtic next term and prevent a dreaded 10-in-a-row, and have already begun to set the wheels in motion by deciding to allow six first team players to leave at the end of their contracts, as announced earlier this month.

Among those who are set to exit is Jordan Rossiter, the 23-year-old midfielder who has spent the season on loan at Fleetwood Town.

Things never quite worked out of the player at Ibrox since he signed from Liverpool back in 2016, and he managed just 16 first team appearances for the Gers.

But he has also had his fair share of injury issues, and was once considered to be a potential “world-beater” by coaches at Anfield, as per Football Insider.

So have we made the right decision by letting him go, or should the Gers have given him more time to prove himself?

If we take current Ibrox star Ryan Jack as a benchmark, you could probably argue that Rossiter hasn’t shown enough consistency to have earned a first team shot in Glasgow.

Even this season, when he has been playing consistently for Fleetwood, his pass completion rate has been 10.3% lower than Jack’s, as per Wyscout, and his total action success rate has been 15.4% lower.

Without being able to uphold that foundational level of performance every week, Rossiter was always going to struggle for the Gers.

But that’s not to say that he is a bad player by any means.

In fact, this term he has averaged 1.21 more interceptions than Jack per game, and has a dribble success rate that is 6.6% higher.

Really though, it is that defensive side of his game that marks him out as a player who can still carve out a career for himself at a decent level.

In Rossiter’s last game for Fleetwood before picking up an injury towards the back end of last year, the midfielder registered eight interceptions over the course of 78 minutes.

Circled above, this first example shows the player having to turn and run back towards his own goal after a long ball is played upfield.

As illustrated, Rossiter has a fair amount of ground to make up to catch up with play.

By the time the ball is brought down and a pass is made, however, Rossiter has moved to thwart the threat, cutting out the ball with a perfectly timed challenge.

His pace is impressive enough, but it’s his natural reading of the game and anticipation of the danger that really catches the eye.

In an incident taken from later in that same game, Rossiter once again proved his defensive credentials – this time twice in quick succession.

The image above was captured just after one of his teammates had failed to control a decent pass from the 23-year-old.

Rather than switching off, however, Rossiter gets himself immediately back into position to prevent the opposition from building an attack.

Once again reading the game superbly, he begins to move before the ball is even played, getting himself across to execute a brilliant sliding challenge.

The ball then rebounds awkwardly up in the air, allowing an opposition player to win a header as he looks to get his team moving down the far touchline.

Aware of this, Rossiter is back up on his feet in a flash, and covers the ground needed to win a headed contest at the second time of asking, as pictured below.

This is late in the second half, and showcases an admirable amount of fitness and dedication from the midfielder.

Like much of his performance in that game, Rossiter was sharp, lively, and hungry to win the ball back for his side.

Taking all of that into consideration, you would still probably argue that Rangers still made the right decision to let him go this summer.

But you would also have to say that the midfielder shows more than enough promise to suggest that he can come good for somebody, somewhere.

It wasn’t meant to be for Rossiter at Ibrox, but he can still be a useful asset as he moves forward with his career.

In other Rangers news, Ibrox Exclusive: Bruce claims Rangers may struggle to keep Goldson this summer.