Rangers to sign new centre back after Ben Davies exit amid concern at full-back transfer update
Rangers need a replacement secured for Ben Davies but it is a concern that they aren’t attempting to make moves at the full positions before the deadline, says Derek Ferguson.
The centre-back has completed a loan move away to Birmingham City for the season and according to Chris Jack for The Rangers Review on 27 August another central option will now come in before the window shuts as a result.
However, there isn’t expected to be any movement at either full-back spot now, with captain James Tavernier set to stay despite extensive links to an exit this summer to Trabzonspor [Sky Sports, 24 July].
Ferguson doesn’t want to see Davies’ exit leave the Gers light when new signing Robin Propper has already picked up an injury, but is concerned that no action will be taken on either side of the defence where Ridvan Yilmaz is currently out.
Speaking exclusively to Ibrox News he said: “You always want better in. It’s a worry that we’re not even looking at the full-backs.
“I know that Sterling can go and cover for Tavernier. Obviously Yilmaz is out and Jefte has come in there and done pretty well.
“When you’ve got a player that goes, talking about Davies away to Birmingham, I still think you’ve got to add in there.
“Because there’s Propper already picked up an injury. John Souttar has been pretty injury-prone over the last number of years. So it would make sense to get another in.
“But they’re all going to be loans, they’re not going to be able to go and buy. But that’s where you’re hoping the manager, with his contacts and what he knows about the game, it would make sense to get another centre-back in.
“But we need that all over the park. Any player that becomes available of good quality you get them in and you start to work with that.
“But what is clear with Clement, he ain’t going to change his formation, he’s going to stick with a back four. I think there’s an opportunity at times to mix it up a bit, go to a three or a five at the back, and in doing so you need good defenders in.
“Davies going out, he struggled with the physicality up here. Yep, one goes out you certainly need to replace him.”
Philippe Clement won’t get new Rangers back up for Ridvan Yilmaz or James Tavernier
In an ideal world Clement would surely be strengthening throughout his squad, but just as with the striker situation it looks like he is going to have to go with what he has at full-back.
Borna Barisic’s exit allowed for Jefte to come in and a Tavernier transfer would have opened the door for a new right-back, but having been in sell-to-buy mode for so long he is probably now down to loan-out to loan-in mode at best.
Rangers are expected to be busy right up to the deadline working on a replacement for Davies [Fabrizio Romano, 23 August] but after putting in an offer worth up to £6.8million for Almeria’s Kaiky it appears that pursuit is a dead end [Romano, 28 August].
In other Rangers news, a striker transfer update has emerged ahead of the 30 August deadline.
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