Rangers target Okumu admits he could move on from Elfsborg
Elfsborg and Kenya defender Joseph Okumu admits he could be on the move in the summer amid speculation linking him with a move to Rangers.
Last month, Swedish news outlet Sport Bladet reported that Leicester and Aston Villa have eyed up Ibrox centre-back Filip Helander.
It is understood that as a result, Rangers have set their sights on 23-year-old Okumu, who will enter the final year of his contract at Swedish side Elfsborg in the summer.
Rangers are one of many team said to be interested in the seven-time Kenya international, who was the subject of bids between £1.7million and £2.1million in January.
Okumu has now spoken out about his future in Sweden, admitting that while he’s open to a new contract at Elfsborg, he’s also opened the door for a move away.
“Before making such a big decision, it’s always important to consider the bigger picture,” said Okumu, as quoted by Kenyan newspaper The Star.
“I’m certainly going to pen a new deal when the right time comes and that won’t be long. We shall come to an agreement with Elfsborg and if we shall all feel it’s not the right time, then I’ll stay.
“As of now, I can’t surely say I’ll be moving to any specific country or league. It all depends on who presents the first bid. It’s only then that I will have an opportunity to decide what is best for me. I hope to feature in one of the top five leagues in Europe.”
One out, one in
If Helander does move on in the summer then Steven Gerrard needs to find a replacement.
Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun have done well this season, as has Helander, but after those three there are big doubts about the other options.
Jack Simpson arrived from Bournemouth in January but with him playing such little senior football in his career, the jury is very much still out on him.
Nikola Katic has been injured for almost a year and it’s hard to see George Edmundson having much of a future at Ibrox once his loan at Derby County expires.
Okumu is someone who piques our interest a bit.
The 23-year-old made 24 league appearances for Elfsborg in the 2020 season as they finish second in the Allsvenskan and qualified for the Europa League.
According to stats by Wyscout, Okumu won 70.5 per cent of defensive duels in his league appearances in 2020, as well as 72.3 per cent of aerial duels and 82 per cent of passes.
He averaged 6.7 interceptions, 14.79 recoveries and 4.72 clearances per 90 minutes of game-time for the Allsvenskan runners-up.
Okumu ranked sixth in the Swedish top-flight for his defensive duel success rate, 13th for interceptions per 90 minutes and third for his aerial duel win percentage.
The Kenyan is definitely one of the best centre-backs in Sweden and as he’s only 23, there is room for a bit of improvement.
Let’s see if that improvement happens at Ibrox.
In other Rangers news, Michael Stewart has broken his silence over the backlash for what he said about the alleged racist Ondrej Kudela incident.