Jonathan Panzo transfer should be easy for Rangers with Ross Wilson twist
Rangers could find it relatively easy to sign Nottingham Forest defender Jonathan Panzo due to Ross Wilson, according to the Daily Record.
The print edition (3 July, page 46) claims that manager Michael Beale’s past coaching of Panzo at Chelsea youth level and Wilson’s sporting director role at Forest should set up the deal for the Scottish giants.
However, while the club are aware of the needed fees to get the deal done, there is interest from English and German sides who are holding talks with the 22-year-old.
In the palm of their hands
The scene should be set for Rangers to secure one of Beale’s top summer transfer targets [Daily Record].
Beale’s previous relationship with the youngster should help grease the wheels of the transfer with the manager clearly seeing potential and ability in the England youth regular. He would seemingly get plenty of game time in Scotland’s top flight.
Furthermore, former Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson is currently heading up operations at Forest. He’d be likely to work with his former side which again gives the club another reason to be very optimistic about getting the deal done.
Wilson had a good spell at Rangers and left the club on good terms with the hierarchy. Upon Wilson’s departure, Beale said: “In and around the training ground he was a huge, positive figure. He’s well-liked around the club. He’s a friend as well as a colleague.” [Sky Sports]
Panzo would be an excellent addition to Rangers. His versatility makes him a great option across the defence as he can play both left and right-sided centre-back and even has experience filling in at left-back [TransferMarkt].
The former Monaco man was also vital in Coventry City’s tremendous campaign last season which saw them narrowly miss out on Premier League football after losing on penalties to Luton Town in the playoff final.
Panzo is a dynamic player with excellent defensive attributes that set him up to have a real impact on Beale’s team, with 1.81 tackles per 90 (85th percentile) and 2.01 interceptions per 90 (93rd percentile) [FBRef].
While this transfer looks like Rangers’ to lose, they could still lose it amid reported interest from English and German clubs, so they may need to act sooner rather than later to seal the deal.
In other Rangers news, journalist backs Beale’s new signing to ‘shine’ in SPL.