Anthony Onifade

Sat 14 October 2023 13:10, UK

Rangers could now be closing in on the appointment of their new manager, and John Bennett would do well to recommend a perfect first capture in Charlie Cresswell for the January transfer window.

Newspaper journalist Alan Nixon, taking to his official Patreon account (13 October) shared that an announcement could be made on the appointment of Philipp Clement over the weekend with terms and budget to be formally agreed.

It is believed that Clement’s European pedigree has given him the edge over alternative managerial candidate Kevin Muscat with the former Monaco coach meeting the Rangers bosses twice.

It certainly seems as if Rangers have now finally made a breakthrough in their managerial search and have now identified their preferred Michael Beale successor at Ibrox, a process which has taken 11 days since his sacking (1 October).

The Belgian will have plenty of work to do to get the Rangers team firing on all cylinders again after their disappointing performances under Beale and one area which is in need of addressing by Clement is in defence.

Clement is known for his defensive high-line and there are doubts over whether the likes of Conor Goldson, Ben Davies and even John Souttar are the ideal components for that responsibility.

For that reason, it won’t be a surprise for Bennett and the Gers recruitment team to start identifying targets now and one ideal candidate who could become available in the winter given his current situation at his club is Charlie Cresswell.

Football League World reported on 19 June that the Gers had identified Leeds wonder Cresswell as a potential summer target but had an undisclosed bid for Cresswell rejected out of hand by the Elland Road hierarchy.

The report claims it remains to be seen whether Rangers could make another approach for the defender given their strict budget but given Cresswell’s quality and probable desire to seek a new challenge elsewhere, the Gers will be silly not to test Leeds’ resolve once more.

Fresh off a successful loan spell in South London last season and helping England to win the European Under-21 Championship back in June, the centre-back signed a deal until June 2027 (official website, 1 August).

And yet, less than two months later, Cresswell’s future at Leeds looks quite unclear with just three starts in all competitions this term, but only one of those in the Championship with two coming in the Carabao Cup.

Tottenham loanee Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk have been Daniel Farke’s preferred partnership at Elland Road this term, while Liam Cooper is back now after being injured in the season-opener against Cardiff City which has left Cresswell as an unfortunate afterthought.

In fact, he hasn’t featured for Leeds United since the back end of August, a surprise EFL Cup defeat to Salford City (29 August) [SofaScore]

The 20-year-old sensation, once dubbed “immense” by former Elland Road favourite Noel Whelan, enjoyed a tremendous upward trajectory last season for Millwall becoming a vital and pivotal performer as the South Londoners only fell short of a playoff place on the Championship final day.

Whilst registering impressive six-goal contributions as a centre-back, Cresswell helped the club to five clean sheets, averaged 1.3 interceptions, 1.5 tackles, and 3.1 clearances per 90 whilst winning 61% of his aerial duels, 58% of his ground duels and 60% of his total duels [SofaScore] which certainly shows a defender very capable of performing at such a level again.

Cresswell certainly fits the kind of profile Rangers are desperate for at centre-back.

A young, mobile, agile, progressive, and dominant player capable of slotting in seamlessly into his new surroundings and given how quickly and efficiently Cresswell slotted in at Millwall in the Championship, he’ll have no problems acclimatising to the Scottish Premiership should he make the move.

Clement will be given the difficult task of moulding this Rangers team into title challengers again but he may not make a better start or lay a better defensive foundation for his team than signing a player who possesses the potential of Cresswell.

It’s a no-brainer move for the January window.

In other Rangers news, BBC presenter shares what he’s been told about Rangers manager hunt.