Rangers: Ross Wilson can sign next Calvin Bassey as door now wide open for to sign Wolves defender Dion Sanderson
Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson could well sign the next Calvin Bassey with Wolverhampton Wanderers reportedly willing to allow on-loan defender Dion Sanderson to leave this summer.
The Sun reported on 31 December that the Gers were keen on signing the 23-year-old defender for the January window after scouting him while on loan at Birmingham City.
The Scottish Sun then reported on 3 January that Wilson and John Park have been watching the 23-year-old on loan from Wolves at St. Andrew’s, who would cost around £3m [Football Scotland, 1 January].
However, the West Midlands did not have the option to recall the defender back in January and if Wolves wanted to sell the talented defender to Rangers, Birmingham would have to agree to a sale.
And according to an update from BirminghamLive [20 March], the door may well be left wide open for Wilson to finally make his move for Sanderson with Wolves reportedly willing to allow the defender to leave the Molineux upon his return from loan this summer.
The Gers are set to undergo a huge rebuild this summer as boss Michael Beale looks to refresh his squad for next season and the defence is certainly one of his priority positions, with the club already cutting short James Sands’ loan at Ibrox and injury-stricken defender Filip Helander set to depart upon the expiration of his contract.
Leon King is still deemed too young to play regularly, while the Light Blues can still improve on Ben Davies and Conor Goldson.
While the Gers have sorely missed Bassey after his move to Ajax last summer, Sanderson could be Beale’s very own answer to the Nigerian international.
Sanderson is enjoying a flawless campaign in the West Midlands, becoming one of the first names on John Eustace’s teamsheet back at St Andrew’s. Sanderson is also certainly pulling up similar numbers to Bassey’s last campaign at Ibrox in the Championship [WhoScored].
Sanderson is averaging 1.6 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 2.7 clearances per game for Birmingham highlighting his all-around defensive attributes that could certainly appeal to Beale.
The player’s passing stats don’t record similarly to Bassey’s but he certainly possesses the capabilities of fitting into Beale’s style considering his age, profile and potential to mature and develop even further under a manager known to work wonders with young talents.
Wilson has been heavily criticised for his transfer recruitment over the past months, but he can certainly redeem himself here by snapping up Sanderson who Wolves are willing to let go. It’s a no-brainer.
In other Rangers news, boost for the club as Celtic could be without their star attacker for Old Firm clash.