Rangers handed boost in pursuit of Antwerp defender William Pacho
Rangers are “well underway” in their pursuit of Antwerp defender William Pacho, according to an update from the Daily Record.
The centre-back, who was part of Ecuador’s World Cup squad in Qatar, is apparently on the move after the Belgian side’s general manager Sven Jacques revealed they were already looking for replacements.
Het Nieuwsblad carried a report on 3 January saying “reliable South American sources” had shared that the Light Blues and Ligue 1 side Monaco had both scouted the 21-year-old multiple times.
And now it appears they have been handed a boost, with the Daily Record reporting on Saturday (7 January, 10.36am): “Rangers have been given the go-ahead to make a bid for Antwerp defender William Pacho after his club’s general manager admitted they were looking for replacements.
“The Ibrox side have sent scouts on a number of occasions to look at the powerful 21-year-old, who has impressed this season in the Belgian League.”
Door open
This seems like a move that shouldn’t be top of the list of priorities at Ibrox in this window even if there is a chance to get it done.
The youngster only signed a five-year deal in Belgium a year ago so is hardly going to be cheap, and with a decent fee already shelled out for Ben Davies in the summer, whatever money Michael Beale is going to see the benefit of in January could be put to better use in midfield or attack.
Injury issues have ravaged the defence this term but signing another centre-back for anything other than a minimal fee is presumably going to leave the position overcrowded before long.
John Souttar is supposed to be back from injury sooner rather than later and there is still a chance that Filip Helander comes back into the fold this season, even if his contract is set to run out in the summer.
With Connor Goldson the clear leader at the position and youngster Leon King having made strides this year, there appears to be plenty of options if any of them can remain fit for a sustained period.
So unless Beale has doubts about the group’s ability to do that then surely creativity in midfield is a better priority.
In other Rangers news, a Sky Sports pundit has hit back at Celtic “guff” from Chris Sutton and Ange Postecoglou.