‘People will say…’ – Darren Jackson blasts new Rangers signing
Ex-Celtic forward Darren Jackson struggles to see what is exciting about Rangers’ decision to sign Scott Wright from Aberdeen.
Wright, 23, joined the Light Blues from Aberdeen in a player-plus-cash swap deal on Monday with Ross McCrorie turning his loan stay at Pittodrie into a permanent one.
The attacking midfielder could earn his debut for the Gers on Wednesday night when they take on St Johnstone in the Premier League but Jackson is finding it tough to see what is so special about the new Ibrox ace.
“Scott Wright, they obviously see something [but] I’m yet to see it,” Jackson said on PLZ Soccer’s Football Show on Tuesday.
“Yes, he’s quick, good pace but six goals in 60 games for an Aberdeen team who were second in the league four years in a row and then third in the league, isn’t too many.
“People will say that he’s maybe not a natural goalscorer but when Aberdeen are up there, you should be expecting goals from the forwards.
“They obviously see something in him and they’re happy with the signing so what am I going to say? But he’s not a real exciting one for me.”
What a load of rubbish
Do pundits earn an extra buck every time they say a midfielder needs to score more goals? It’s one of the worst cliches among former professionals who have nothing better to say about players they’re analysing.
Wright turned 23-years-old last summer and left Aberdeen on Monday with seven goals and 11 assists in 79 appearances across all competitions with the Pittodrie club.
Jackson is neglecting to mention that Wright spent a long time on the sidelines with a serious knee injury last season and has only actually made 28 starts in the Premiership.
Wright had only really just broken into Derek McInnes’ team to play on a regular basis so to rubbish an attacking, creative midfielder for his lack of goalscoring ability is a load of nonsense.
Wright is a great passer of the ball. According to stats by Wyscout, he’s completed 78.6 per cent of his passes in the Premiership this season and 39.4 per cent of his passes into the penalty area have been accurate.
He ranks 11th in the Scottish top-flight for smart passes per 90 minutes [1] and only Rangers or Celtic players have made more deep completions per 90 minutes [1.61]. Deep completions are passes into a zone 20 metres around the opposition’s goal.
Wright clearly has a creative streak but ‘because he doesn’t score enough goals’, he’s not someone who Jackson is excited by.
It’s a good job Jackson has absolutely nothing to do with Rangers because we’re all definitely pleased to see Wright at Ibrox.
In other Rangers news, Emerson Hyndman has sent a message to this new Gers arrival.